Cowboy Ray, RIP

By Matt Wood in News on Jan 11, 2006 5:14PM

Mancow sidekick Cowboy Ray Hoffstatter died last night from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident on South Archer in November. The driver, described as a woman who appeared to be drag racing a black Honda Civic, still hasn't been found.

The crew on Mancow's Morning Madhouse on Q101 mostly had fun at Ray's expense because he was mentally handicapped, but he was often the funniest part of the show. After the accident, Mancow offered $5,000 of his own money as a reward for the arrest of the driver. While Chicagoist questioned the Cow's sincerity at the time, we listened in to the show this morning and could tell he was genuinely upset. He said finding Ray's killer was now his "life's purpose," and after a depressing live performance of "3 AM" by Rob Thomas, Mancow broke down on the air and signed off.

This must be a tough week for Mancow. First arch nemesis Howard Stern made the move to satellite radio, putting him back in direct competition with the Morning Madhouse. Then Stern went on Larry King and bashed Mancow, saying, "He isn't real." Now with Cowboy Ray's passing, we actually feel a little sorry for him. But not as bad as we feel for Ray's surviving family and friends.

Image courtesy of CBS 2 Chicago