Tom Magliozzi Dies At 77; ‘Car Talk’ Host’s Death Was Due To Alzheimer’s Disease Complications?

Tom Magliozzi dies at 77 years old. He was recognized as one of public radio's most famous personalities today.

He died on Monday due to certain complications that were brought about by his Alzheimer's disease.

Magliozzi and his brother, Ray, started to be known because of their weekly NPR show, "Car Talk." They were famous as the Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers. They often engaged themselves in hilarious banters and joked around. Still, despite their comedic part of their partnership, they still gave pretty good advice to their listeners who called in to share the troubles that they have with their respective vehicles.

Moreover, if there was one thing to define Tom Magliozzi dies, it would be the way he laughed. His laughter was naturally loud and was very infectious.

Doug Berman, the long-time producer of "Car Talk," shared, "His laugh is the working definition of infectious laughter. Before I even met him, I heard him, and it wasn't on the air." Berman was the news director of WBUR at the time.

"I'd just hear this laughter and then there'd be more of it," he continued. "And, people would sort of gather around him. He was just kind of a magnet."

Tom Magliozzi dies and his brother actually grew up in a relatively tough neighborhood in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. Still, despite the negative ambience of the neighborhood that they lived in, they had a pretty close-knit Italian family.

He was 12 years older than his brother and they liked to pretend like they were just a couple of regular guys who worked as mechanics, both of them having graduated from MIT.

After Tom Magliozzi dies got out of college, he proceeded to work as an engineer. One day, he sort of had an epiphany, telling new graduates about his experience when he and Ray gave a commencement address for the school in 1999.

"I quit my job," he shared. "I became a bum. I spent two years sitting in Harvard Square drinking coffee. I invented the concept of the do-it-yourself auto repair shop and I met my lovely wife."