Longtime Birmingham, Ala., radio personality Patti Wheeler, 71, passed away on Feb. 18 following surgery for the removal of brain tumors. That is according to an obituary on the Web site of her former employer, WZZK, and a report in The Birmingham News. Wheeler joined WZZK after stints at other radio stations in the city including WJLD, and is best remembered as a morning show host. She worked with the late Tom "Doc" Atkinson as part of the "Patti and the Doc" show, and later with "Dollar" Bill Lawson as "Patti and Dollar Bill" on WZZK. The show later moved to crosstown rival WDXB (The Bull) in 2002 after a brief retirement. Wheeler retired again in November of 2008 and moved to Panama City, Fla., to be closer to her mother.

The Birmingham News said of the seven times-married Wheeler, "She was a larger-than-life character both on the air and off, and listeners identified with her."

In a statement on the site, Cox Media Group/Birmingham VP/GM David DuBose said, "For more than 20 years, Patti Wheeler entertained listeners on WZZK. She had an amazing ability to relate to the audience, becoming a part of each listener's life . Patti will be missed but her impact on Birmingham radio lives on."