Beloved Radio Host and Pioneering BET Personality Angela Stribling Dies at 58
Angela Stribling’s Husband Announced Her Death After a Two-Year Battle With Brain Cancer
Angela Stribling, a beloved radio personality, jazz singer and pioneering host of several BET programs, has died at the age of 58.
Her husband, Ken Washington, announced the devastating news in an Instagram post that was also shared through Angela’s account and by her longtime Washington, D.C., radio station, WHUR 96.3.
The announcement revealed that Stribling had been battling brain cancer for two years.
She died peacefully at home on Saturday, September 26, with members of her family beside her.
“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved wife, Angela Marie Stribling, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, September 26, after a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer. Her sister Darlene and I were by her sidem,” Ken Washington wrote.
Her Husband Remembered a Life Filled With Love and Inspiration
Washington’s announcement reflected on the impact his wife had made both personally and professionally.
Throughout her career, Stribling became known for a distinctive voice that crossed television, radio and music.
Her husband described a legacy that extended far beyond her work in broadcasting.
His post continued, “Angela leaves behind a legacy of love, joy, kindness, inspiration, and a voice and spirit that will never be forgotten. A celebration of life will be held in Washington DC, date and venue to be announced.”
The announcement brought renewed attention to a career that had stretched across several areas of entertainment and broadcasting.
From BET television programs to radio and jazz performances, Stribling built a professional identity around the voice she had once been encouraged to pursue.
Angela Stribling Became a Familiar Face on BET
Stribling rose to prominence through the Black Entertainment Television network and also worked with WJZ-TV and WJLA-TV.
Her work at BET became an especially significant part of her career.
During the 1990s, she hosted the network’s entertainment news program, Screen Scene.
She also became associated with BET’s jazz programming through her work as host of Jazz Central.
Her television career allowed her to combine two important parts of her life: broadcasting and music.
That combination would continue to define much of her professional journey.
Music Had Always Been at the Center of Her Life
Although millions of viewers and listeners came to know Stribling as a broadcaster, she also identified strongly as a jazz singer.
Music was not simply another part of her résumé.
She described it as her first passion.
Before building her career in television and radio, the Buffalo, New York-born personality attended the Fashion Institute of Technology.
She later moved to Washington, D.C., after mentors and friends encouraged her to pursue a profession that would make use of her voice.
That advice ultimately helped shape the direction of her life.
She Saw Broadcasting and Jazz as Connected Parts of Herself
Stribling spoke openly about the relationship between her love of music and her broadcasting career.
She did not view the two paths as competing interests.
Instead, both became essential pieces of her identity.
“I’m a jazz singer first. It has always been my passion,” Angela Stribling said. “However, my broadcast career is also such an integral part of who I am. I’m excited every chance I get to perform on stage, share the spotlight on other artists, and talk about it all on radio and television.”
Her career reflected exactly that combination.
She performed, interviewed artists and used television and radio to bring conversations about entertainment and music to wider audiences.
Her Voice Became the Foundation of a Long Career
The decision to pursue work that “involved my voice” proved to be an important turning point.
Stribling eventually became recognizable across several forms of media.
Television allowed audiences to see her personality and interviewing style.
Radio gave her another space to connect directly with listeners.
Jazz provided a creative outlet that remained deeply personal to her.
Rather than limiting herself to a single medium, she moved between them throughout her career.
She Later Hosted Pillow Talk with Angela
In more recent years, Stribling hosted her own radio program, Pillow Talk with Angela.
The show was broadcast on WHUR and Sirius XM.
Radio became another major chapter in a career that had already included years of television work.
Her longtime connection with WHUR also meant that news of her death resonated strongly with the Washington, D.C., audience that had listened to her voice.
Her work extended beyond regular programming as well.
Stribling hosted numerous national awareness campaigns during her career.
She Interviewed Major Names in Entertainment and Public Life
Stribling’s broadcasting career brought her into conversation with numerous recognizable figures.
Over the years, she interviewed former President Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Sterling K. Brown, among others.
Those interviews reflected the broad range of her work.
She was comfortable speaking with figures from entertainment, music and public life while maintaining the broadcasting style that had become associated with her career.
Her experience across television and radio gave her multiple platforms through which to conduct those conversations.
Her Voice Was Also Heard in National Campaigns
Stribling’s voice reached audiences in ways that went beyond traditional television and radio hosting.
Her professional work included national television and radio campaigns.
Among the brands associated with those campaigns were Mercedes-Benz of North America, Folgers Coffee and Allstate Insurance.
The work provided another example of how central her voice had become to her professional identity.
What began as a decision to pursue a career centered on her voice eventually expanded into television hosting, radio broadcasting, singing and national campaigns.
Angela Also Appeared in Television and Film Productions
Stribling occasionally appeared outside her usual broadcasting roles.
In 2020, she appeared during Season 5 of The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Years earlier, she had made a cameo appearance as a television anchor in the 1992 Eddie Murphy movie The Distinguished Gentleman.
Those appearances added another dimension to a career already spanning several areas of media.
Whether she was appearing as herself, working as a host or taking on a brief on-screen role, television remained a consistent part of her professional life.
She Continued Sharing Positivity While Facing Health Challenges
Behind her public work, Stribling was dealing with a serious health battle.
Her husband’s announcement revealed that she had fought brain cancer for two years.
Despite those health challenges, she continued expressing gratitude and optimism publicly.
Her final birthday post, shared on October 13, 2025, offered a particularly personal glimpse into what she had been experiencing.
Rather than focusing entirely on the difficulty of the previous year, she began by expressing gratitude.
“I’m grateful to God for another year of LIFE! Actually, I’m grateful for every single moment!”
She Described the Previous Year as the Most Challenging of Her Life
Stribling did not hide the fact that she had been through an extremely difficult period.
In the same birthday message, she referred to a health challenge while reflecting on what the previous year had meant to her.
She continued, “This past year was the most challenging I’ve experienced in my lifetime! On many levels! But, especially a surprising health challenge! Through the grace of God, I’ve survived it and ready to embrace all that He has in store for me!”
The words took on additional significance following her husband’s announcement that she had battled brain cancer for two years.
Her message had focused on survival, gratitude and a willingness to continue embracing life despite the difficulties she was facing.
Her Final Birthday Message Reflected the Spirit Her Husband Remembered
Washington described his wife as someone who left behind love, joy, kindness and inspiration.
Her final birthday message reflected many of those same qualities.
She acknowledged that she had experienced the most challenging year of her life while still expressing gratitude for every moment.
It was consistent with the public personality that listeners and viewers had come to know across the years.
Even while confronting a serious health struggle, her message centered on gratitude and hope.
Her Career Crossed Television, Radio and Music
Stribling’s professional journey was difficult to place into only one category.
She was a television host who became closely associated with BET.
She was a radio personality whose voice reached listeners through WHUR and Sirius XM.
She was a jazz singer who consistently described music as her first passion.
She also worked on national campaigns and made appearances in television and film productions.
Each part of that career connected back to the same central gift: her voice.
BET Gave Her an Important Platform Early in Her Career
Her years at BET were especially important in establishing her public profile.
Hosting Screen Scene placed her within entertainment television during the 1990s.
Her work with Jazz Central also allowed her to bring her personal passion for jazz into her broadcasting career.
That made the role particularly fitting for someone who considered herself a jazz singer first.
Instead of keeping music and broadcasting separate, Stribling found opportunities to bring them together.
Washington, D.C., Became Central to Her Professional Story
Although Stribling was born in Buffalo, New York, Washington, D.C., became an important part of her career and life.
She moved there after being encouraged to pursue work involving her voice.
That decision eventually led to a broadcasting career that included her longtime relationship with WHUR 96.3.
Washington will also be the location of the planned celebration of her life.
Her husband said the date and venue would be announced later.
Her Husband and Sister Were Beside Her
Washington’s announcement also shared a deeply personal detail about Stribling’s final moments.
He said that he and her sister, Darlene, were beside her when she died peacefully at home.
After two years of battling brain cancer, she was surrounded by loved ones.
The announcement was filled with grief, but it also focused heavily on the life and legacy she left behind.
Washington emphasized the qualities he believed would continue to define how people remembered his wife.
Her Legacy Extended Beyond a Single Show or Station
For audiences who discovered Stribling through BET, she may be remembered for programs such as Screen Scene and Jazz Central.
For radio listeners, her voice may be most closely associated with Pillow Talk with Angela and WHUR.
Others knew her through jazz, interviews, national campaigns or her occasional appearances in television and film.
Together, those different parts formed a career that lasted across changing eras of entertainment and broadcasting.
Stribling found ways to remain connected to the work she loved while moving between different platforms.
Angela Stribling Leaves Behind a Voice That Reached Generations of Listeners
Angela Stribling’s death at 58 closes a remarkable chapter in television, radio and music.
Her journey took her from Buffalo to Washington, D.C., and from an early interest in fashion to a career built around the voice that mentors and friends had encouraged her to use.
She became a pioneering BET personality, a radio host, an interviewer and a jazz singer.
She spoke with major figures, appeared in television and film, and brought her voice to national campaigns.
Even during a serious two-year battle with brain cancer, her public words remained focused on gratitude and hope.
Her husband’s final description of her legacy centered not simply on professional achievements but on “love, joy, kindness, inspiration.”
A celebration of Stribling’s life is planned for Washington, D.C., with details to be announced.
For the viewers, listeners, colleagues, friends and loved ones who knew her voice, her decades of work across television, radio and jazz remain an enduring part of the legacy she leaves behind.