Paul Harvey's Wife Dies at Age 92

May 3, 2008— -- The wife of radio legend Paul Harvey, Lynne Cooper Harvey — who her husband called "Angel" — died this morning after a year-long battle with leukemia, according to a statement from Harvey's office. She was 92.

A director, writer and editor, and the producer of her husband's radio program, Lynne Harvey was the first producer ever inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

She is credited with coming up with many of the programming innovations that became her husband's trademarks, and she influenced the development of broadcast news, both on radio and television.

Among her ideas were the concepts of including news features within hard-news broadcasts, and the humorous "kicker," which became a Paul Harvey trademark.

In the late 1940s, Lynne Harvey suggested her husband's news program be broadcast at 10 p.m. to take better advantage of adults' leisure time and, thus, gain a larger audience.

Lynne also developed and edited her husband's best-known feature "The Rest of the Story."

She also created and produced "Dilemma," a television program that became a prototype for the talk-show genre.

The Harveys met in St. Louis, Lynne Cooper's hometown, at KXOK, where Paul worked as special events director and Lynne, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington University, began her radio career, reporting on educational topics.

After their marriage in 1940, they began their professional partnership, with Paul in the broadcast booth and Lynne handling behind-the-scenes responsibilities.

In addition to her broadcasting work, she also served on numerous charitable boards, including the Infant Welfare Society, Prevent Chile Abuse America, the USO, the Illinois Mental Health Association, the Illinois Charitable Trusts and Advisory Committee, the Joffrey Ballet, and the Children's Home and Aid Society. She was also an enthusiastic contributor to various animal welfare groups.

Paul declared how much his "Angel" meant to him just before he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Nov. 9, 2005.