Beloved BET personality and longtime Washington, D.C., radio host Angela Stribling has died at 58 after what her husband described as a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer.
Stribling died peacefully at home on Saturday, Sept. 26, with her husband, Ken Washington, and her sister Darlene by her side, according to a statement shared by WHUR 96.3 FM. Her family has not released a formal medical cause of death, but Washington said she had been battling brain cancer for two years.
“It is with broken heart that I share that my beloved wife, Angela Marie Stribling passed away peacefully at home,” Washington said in the statement.
WHUR said a celebration of Stribling’s life will be held in Washington, D.C., with details to be announced later.
For generations of listeners in the Washington area, Stribling was much more than a familiar voice on the radio.
She built a decades-long career across television, radio, music, acting and voiceover work, becoming especially well known for her time at BET during the network’s formative years.
Stribling hosted the entertainment program Screen Scene and also filled in for Donnie Simpson on Video Soul. She later became part of BET’s expansion into jazz programming, co-hosting Jazz Central alongside music legends Ramsey Lewis and Lou Rawls and appearing on BET Jazz Scene and BET Jazz Discovery.
Her television career also included work at WJZ-TV in Baltimore and WJLA-TV in Washington, where she later appeared as a segment host on Let’s Talk Live!
But it was Stribling’s unmistakable voice that made her especially beloved by radio listeners.
She became a longtime presence on WHUR 96.3 FM and later hosted Pillow Talk with Angela, a late-night program that mixed relationship conversations with jazz, R&B and intimate interviews.
The show also aired through SiriusXM and became one of the signature projects of her later career.
Stribling’s voice could also be heard on SiriusXM’s Watercolors and in national commercials and voiceover projects.
She was also a jazz singer and appeared in film, including a role in Eddie Murphy’s 1992 comedy The Distinguished Gentleman. Just Jared
Former BET journalist Ed Gordon was among those mourning Stribling’s death.
Gordon said the two worked together at BET and remained friends after both moved on to other opportunities.
He remembered Stribling as someone whose “sultry voice” made her a fixture on Washington-area radio and SiriusXM, while also noting her work in voiceovers, music and movies. Just Jared
WHUR General Manager Sean Plater also paid tribute to Stribling, saying her talent was only part of what made her special.
Plater remembered her as someone whose warmth and kindness made people feel welcome, whether they knew her personally or simply heard her voice over the airwaves.
Stribling’s broadcasting career began humbly.
She started with internships at WTTG-TV and WOL-AM in Washington before eventually moving into programming, sales and on-air work. Her television break came after a local appearance caught the attention of a BET producer, leading to an audition and eventually a national platform.
Over the years, Stribling interviewed major figures in entertainment and public life and became one of the recognizable voices associated with Black television and radio in Washington.
Most recently, she remained closely connected to listeners through Pillow Talk with Angela and other radio work.
For those who grew up watching BET or listening to late-night radio in the D.C. area, Stribling’s death marks the loss of a voice that had been part of their lives for decades.
…sad…she should have avoided the death shots….