LOS ANGELES - (INT) - Radio personality and television announcer Charlie Tuna is being fondly remembered. He died in his sleep Monday at the age of 71, according to an announcement on his website.

He was born in born in Kearney, Nebraska as Art Ferguson but considered Tarzana his home.

At age 16, Tuna began working at his hometown's radio station, KGFW. Then, he went to work at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas for a year with the air name "Billy O'Day". He then worked for KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City in 1966, where he took over the "Charlie Tuna" pseudonym.

KHJ, 'Boss Radio, in Los Angeles offered Tuna the 9 to noon slot, where he debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1967.

In the following years, he worked at KIIS-FM, KTNQ, KHTZ (later KBZT), KRLA, KODJ (later KCBS-FM), KMPC, KIKF, and KLAC.

At KBIG 104.3, he hosted a long running morning show Charlie Tuna in the Morning which aired from 5 to 10 am. His last full-time morning show aired on September 17, 2007.

He returned to radio 5-months later and became the weekend personality on Los Angeles oldies station K-Earth 101. CBS on August 27, 2015 began down sizing their stations in Los Angeles, at which point Charlie moved on to expand his syndicated radio business with CharlieTunaSyndication.com.

Tuna broadcast approximately 6,000 radio shows from 1971 through 1996 on the American Forces Radio Network.

Tuna was the announcer on a number of television game shows and appeared in the 1977 Universal movie 'Rollercoaster'.

Charlie raised nearly 2.5 million dollars for Children’ s Hospital in Los Angeles with his annual “Tunathon”.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (as "Charlie Tuna") in January 1990, and was voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and inducted into the Route 66 Cruisin' Hall of Fame in San Bernardino. Tuna was considered one of the Top 10 Los Angeles radio personalities of all time.

Story Date: March 1, 2016