Ron Sexton Dead: Comedian, Donnie Baker On 'The Bob & Tom ...

Comedian Ron Sexton, who was best known as the voice of Donnie Baker on the long-running, syndicated The Bob & Tom Show, died Friday in Ohio while on tour with his stand-up comedy show, according to posts from his family and the show’s stars. He was 52.

The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis in 1983, which has been syndicated nationally for decades and focuses on comedy and talk, describing itself as “a mash-up of news, sports, conversation, and interviews.”

Sexton was the voice behind the redneck character Donnie Baker. He regularly made topical calls to the show to relate anecdotes involving a good friend who had a semi-relevant experience, usually ending in a punch-line and/or a tagline like, “I swear to God” or “Look it up…” or “it’s state law.” 

Sexton was also a touring comedian with dozens of dates set up through the end of the year, mostly in the Northeast and South.

Here is his family’s statement, posted to Facebook:

Fellow comedian Theo Von replied in the comments on FB, “Thinking of your family and praying for their peace today Ron. Thanks for making us all laugh.”

Griswold, the titular Tom in The Bob & Tom Show, posted the following on the show’s website: