The race man has roared off into that rock ‘n’ roll mansion in the sky.

Steve “Race Man” Donovan, who was a steadfast figure behind-the-scenes and in front of the microphone for a variety of Quad-Cities radio stations, has passed away, according to several social media posts from former colleagues.

Donovan, 68, had been battling cancer. Since his retirement from Quad-Cities radio, he’d been living in Elkhart, Indiana.

A graduate of Vincennes University, Donovan was best known for his work on 97X and his local show covering the national and area racing scenes. His distinctive long, white hair and beard and ubiquitous baseball hat cut a unique figure, and his massive knowledge of the rock canon and smooth on-air voice and persona were popular for decades with local fans going back to the ’80s.

Scores of local radio personalities past and present flooded his facebook page today with memories and condolences. He will be missed.

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Sean Leary Director of Digital Media

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.