Dave Kendall, the creator and longtime host of MTV’s highly influential show 120 Minutes, has died. A cause of death and age was not immediately available.
Matt Pinfield, D.J. and fellow former MTV host, confirmed the news on social media. “Dave was one of the true believers. Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era,” wrote Pinfield in an Instagram post. “He didn’t just host a show. He gave a home to music that deserved to be heard. He loved the music, respected the artists, and connected with fans in a way that always felt authentic. That’s a rare gift. Sending love to everyone whose life he touched. Rest easy, Dave.”
Kendall began his career as a journalist and editor. His work appeared in both U.S. and British publications, including Melody Maker, Spin, and The New York Post, according to his website. He moved from his native England to New York and while living there, created 120 Minutes. The show initially aired late on Sunday nights on MTV, where he served as a writer, producer, presenter, and news reporter for seven years, beginning in 1986.
After MTV, Kendall went on to work on the TV program Music Scoupe and in radio, including hosting the program “Planet Traxx” on New York’s Hot 97 and serving as a host for syndicated shows “Left of the Dial” and “Cross Currents,” according to his website. In the Nineties, he worked on a number of internet endeavors, including projects for Raygun Publishing, Inc., Soundbreak.com, and more.
Kendall also worked as a club DJ, serving a seven-year residency at New York’s Limelight alongside playing other clubs. In 2001, he released A Voyage Into Trance, Volume 2 via Hypnotic/Cleopatra Records.
In the mid-2000s, he moved to Thailand, and later lived in Hong Kong and Shanghai. As of 2017, he worked for Bangkok Post, where he wrote and edited stories, produced and anchored podcasts, and more.
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Jim Shearer, the host of 120 Minutes when its run ended in 2003, shared an anecdote with Rolling Stone about filming the final episode with Kendall and Pinfield. “I met Dave for the first time when MTV2 flew in him and Matt for the final episode of 120 Minutes,” Shearer said. “120 Minutes was my all-time favorite MTV show, so it was an honor to share the screen with Dave, the creator and former host of the show, and Matt, the face of the show during my formative years.”
Shearer added, “I told Dave and Matt that their two names would be remembered whenever 120 Minutes is talked about in past tense. Twenty three years later I haven’t been proven wrong. Dave cared about music deeply and his idea to create 120 Minutes helped shape a really cool era in music. If you came of age musically in the ’80s or ’90s, you may even call it the best of era of music!”
