Beloved WGN Radio Host Judy Markey Dies at 82 After Suicide

Judy Markey, the beloved voice on WGN Radio and television, has passed away after years of fighting a severe neurological condition. She died peacefully at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland with her family holding her hand. Her co-host Kathy O'Malley confirmed that Markey was 82 when she took this final step on September 11. The specific name of the facility where she spent her last moments remains unknown to the public.

Switzerland hosts two such clinics, offering different paths for those seeking an end to suffering. Dignitas in Zurich limits its services strictly to terminally ill patients. In contrast, Pegasos in Basel allows any adult to make this choice regardless of their medical prognosis. Markey's body began failing just months after her diagnosis was revealed in 2024. She moved quickly to act under the country's Medical Aid in Dying law shortly after learning she had an undisclosed neurological disorder.

Her obituary describes a life that felt full and rich, one where she got more than ever imagined before this final chapter. Her family and friends stood firmly behind her decision during those difficult days. O'Malley noted that once Markey made her choice and picked a date, her resolve never wavered in the weeks that followed.

Markey and O'Malley built a massive audience together for the top-rated Kathy and Judy Show on WGN-AM between 1989 and 2009. Fans of the program called themselves "the girlfriends." Their daily morning broadcast featured open conversations about sex, marriage, raising children, family fights, and the realities of aging. Listeners frequently called in to share personal stories or ask for advice from the hosts. Politicians, authors, and celebrities often appeared on the show to reach a broad Chicago audience.

The duo even discussed their support for assisted suicide directly on air. O'Malley stated that they viewed euthanasia as a highly personal choice but one that should be available for those who chose it. After the show ended its 20-year run, the pair brought the program back four years later as a weekly Saturday morning slot until broadcasts stopped in 2017.

Markey was born in Ohio before moving to Los Angeles with her parents and younger brother at age 13. She relocated to Chicago as a high school student to attend Northwestern Medill, famous for its journalism program. Her time at Beverly Hills High School ended largely because the university lacked a foreign language requirement. Markey struggled with French, and her teacher in LA warned she would never speak any foreign language.

She pursued journalism at Northwestern University instead. After graduating, she lived in New York City, Washington DC, and Evanston, Illinois with her first husband, Tom Markey. The couple later moved overseas for seven years, residing in Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam. During this time abroad, Markey reportedly mastered Italian before learning French as well.

They shared two children together, Erin and Adam. Although their youngest son was born in Europe, the family mostly raised their kids in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette. Even while raising a family, Markey worked as a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times. Her legacy remains tied to those who knew her voice on the radio and watched her on screen before this final, difficult end.

Judy Markey left a mark that goes beyond her many bylines for The New York Times and Cosmopolitan Magazine, where she also penned multiple books. She hosted a popular radio program while dabbling in local Chicago television during the 1990s. A photo shared on her obituary shows her smiling with her husband, family, and dogs. Her dedication to motherhood remains central to how she is remembered today.

She appears in an image marking Daughter's Day in 2024 alongside her daughter, Erin. Markey hosted a documentary-style show called Chicago Slices that highlighted human interest stories around the city. She also anchored WPWR's What the El, interviewing commuters riding public transit daily. Her journalism career led to induction into Northwestern Medill's Hall of Achievement.

Crain's Chicago Business named her one of Chicago's One Hundred Most Influential Women. Talkers magazine ranked her among the Top One Hundred Talk Show Hosts in the US. She married Tom Collinger, a Northwestern University professor, in 2002. The couple spent time at a second home in Tucson, Arizona, and traveled the world together. They cared for their two dogs, Willie and Toby, with great affection.

Markey is survived by Collinger, her children, stepchildren, and two granddaughters. Kathy O'Malley wrote that she was a mother, a wife, and a friend to many. She loved beautiful flowers and cheese as much as good wine. A voracious reader and talented novelist, she made terrible driving decisions but controlled them well anyway.

O'Malley called her an astute and hilarious observer of the human condition who dressed cutely. Judy was one of the few people who made O'Malley feel tall herself. Most remember Markey for her contributions to journalism, specifically within Chicago's media scene. WGN personalities including Chris Collins, Dave Eanet, Dawn Okamoto, Steve Bertrand, Judy Markey and Anne Maxfield attended a memorial in September 2025 for Lorna Gladstone.

Spike O'Dell, a WGN co-worker, described the late talk show host as one of a kind. He noted she was very confident, spunky, and not afraid to tell you exactly what she thought. When WGN first paired Kathy and Judy together as an experiment, he told people it would never work. Man was he wrong! Really wrong thankfully! His radio audience proved the most loyal he had witnessed in his 33 years on the air.