Ron Rosenbaum, an attorney and radio host who brought wit and intelligence to subjects ranging from law and politics to sports and entertainment, died at his St. Paul home Sunday of complications from cancer. He was 68.
Word of his death summoned an outpouring of sympathy and salutes from local media personalities.
Dan Barreiro, the KFAN radio host who co-hosted the Fox 9 show "Enough Said" with Rosenbaum, wrote in a series of tweets: "He was my friend, my conscience, my ultimate go-to guy. His loyalty was fierce, mind agile, presence unmistakable. There will be no other."
Star Tribune sportswriter La Velle E. Neal III also described Rosenbaum as a "one of a kind" figure and a "gift to this world."
Rosenbaum's death was announced on Facebook by his wife, Lucy Quinlivan, with whom he hosted the weekly "Holding Court" podcast.
She wrote that he had battled multiple myeloma, a cancer formed by malignant plasma cells. A May 12 posting on the podcast's Web page said that the show was on hiatus until further notice.
In addition to his TV and radio appearances, Rosenbaum had a wide-ranging legal practice that in recent years included representing Canterbury Park in its push for a racino.
And he was part of a legal team that won a $425,000 federal court settlement for a former Rogers High School student who was suspended in 2014 for a two-word tweet in which he joked about making out with one of the school's teachers.
Quinlivan wrote that Rosenbaum had a "well-developed sense of justice and fairness that had little to do with whether something was legal." Her husband was a "rare and special character," she added.
Arrangements for a memorial service are pending.
Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109
