One of five men who died in a grisly crash near Fresno on Tuesday was a prominent radio personality in the South Bay, NBC Bay Area learned Wednesday.
According to Desi 1170 AM, Deepak Kumar, a radio astrologist with two weekly programs at the station, was one of five men killed when the Mercedes SUV they were in ran a stop sign and collided with a big rig near Fresno.
Kumar was known as Master Deepak, and he hosted a popular radio astrology show on Mondays and Thursdays on KLOK. On Wednesday, the station confirmed through family members Kumar's death.
Gwen Do, the station's chief operating officer, paid tribute to Kumar over the air, allowing listeners air time to talk about their favorite radio personality.
"His energy was so vivid and vibrant," Do said. "Even the hosts that knew him for so long, we were at a loss for words. We didn't know how to express our feelings because it was so shocking. He was so soft-spoken but so vibrant. He makes you laugh."
Two other victims of the crash have been identified by the coroner’s office. They were 66-year-old Vinod Dhammy and 64-year-old Kuldeep Kumar, both of Union City.
The driver of the big rig remained in critical condition late Wednesday.
