Lynne Rosen, 46, and John Littig, 48, a couple who co-hosted a self-help radio show on New York’s WBAI, were found dead June 3 in an apparent double suicide. A spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed that both had left suicide notes.
Rosen hosted The Pursuit of Happiness on WBAI for six years, with Littig appearing frequently as a co-host. On her website, Rosen described the call-in show as focused “on self-actualization and personal development.”
According to Rosen’s LinkedIn page, she worked as a psychotherapist for Inner Power Concepts until January 2012, when she and Littig founded the life-coaching venture Why Not Now. The pair also collaborated on an “inspirational rap” video featuring Rosen, “The Person You Always Wanted to Be.”
“Push yourself when there is no place left to go, when there are no outward signs of progress,” Rosen says in the video, which was posted on YouTube. “Try something scary and new, even if you feel foolish.”
Littig was also a musician who operated his own company, JLR Productions, and performed electronic music under the artistic name Jadex.
WBAI, which is struggling to stay afloat financially, recently gave a new timeslot to The Pursuit of Happiness, airing it biweekly instead of monthly.
Rosen and Littig had been among the programmers who pitched in to help keep the station operating. In January they co-organized Naked Sounds, a WBAI fundraising event featuring performances by Jadex among other independent musicians.
Damn I had no idea following your own advice is harder than it seems according to this article. But WBAI and the Pacifica Radio O&O’s should have considered cross promoting or merging with Free Speech TV and Progressive radio network to spare themselves from this and other Disasters.