Angela Stribling, Longtime BET Host and WHUR Radio Personality, Dies at 58

Angela Stribling, a broadcaster whose voice helped shape BET's early programming and Washington, D.C.'s radio landscape for decades, died Saturday, September 26, at her home. She was 58.

Her husband, Ken Washington, announced her death in a post to her Instagram account and in a statement to WHUR 96.3 FM, her longtime radio station, on September 27. "It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved wife, Angela Marie Stribling, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, September 26. After a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer," Washington wrote. "Her sister Darlene and I were by her side."

Washington said he and Stribling had been married for four years and that she "changed my life for the better in every possible way," according to a post shared with Blavity. A celebration of life is planned for Washington, D.C., with the date and venue still to be announced.

A Buffalo Native Who Built a Career in Black Media

Stribling was born in Buffalo, New York, and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City before taking a job with American Airlines at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, according to the Los Angeles Times. She later worked as a news intern at WTTG-TV and WOL-AM in Washington, D.C., before joining WHUR, according to WHUR's own tribute.

She spent four years hosting BET's entertainment news program "Screen Scene" in the 1990s and later helped launch BET Jazz, hosting "Jazz Central" alongside Ramsey Lewis and Lou Rawls, as well as "BET Jazz Discovery" and "BET Jazz Scene," per WHUR and Blavity. She also worked in Baltimore television, reporting for "Evening Magazine" and co-hosting "On Time" on WJZ-TV, and appeared on Washington's ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, according to the Daily Beast.

In 1992, Stribling had a small on-screen role as a television anchor in the Eddie Murphy film "The Distinguished Gentleman," a credit both USA Today and Yahoo News noted came up when she recalled the moment to former BET colleague Ed Gordon.

First Woman to Host WHUR's Quiet Storm

Stribling became the first woman to host WHUR's "Original Quiet Storm," the late-night format created at Howard University in 1976 by Melvin Lindsey, according to WHUR. Stribling and Lindsey had been close friends and professional collaborators who co-hosted "Screen Scene" and "On Time" together, the station said in its tribute.

She most recently hosted "Pillow Talk with Angela," a late-night program on WHUR and SiriusXM centered on relationships, conversation and music. In a 2020 appearance, she joined the cast of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" for Season 5, according to USA Today.

Stribling was also a classically trained jazz vocalist who performed at New York venues including the Rainbow Room and the Supper Club, and toured across the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa, according to WHUR. She shared stages with Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan and, per Blavity, interviewed figures including Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Brandy and Sterling K. Brown over her career.

Tributes From Colleagues

WHUR General Manager Sean Plater called Stribling "a remarkable talent" in the station's statement. "Her voice was beautiful, her presence was calming, and her spirit was genuine," Plater said. "She had a way of making people feel welcome and valued, and that gift extended far beyond the radio."

Ed Gordon, a former BET colleague, wrote on Facebook that Stribling was "a sweet soul" and noted the toll recent losses have taken on former BET staff. "It's been a very difficult year for the BET family, we've lost a number of people and it's gotten even more devastating," Gordon wrote, adding that Stribling had recently told him she and her husband planned to spend more time in Washington, D.C., after years living on the West Coast.

In an October 13, 2025 birthday post, roughly eleven months before her death, Stribling alluded to her diagnosis without naming it directly. "This past year was the most challenging I've experienced in my lifetime," she wrote. "But, especially a surprising health challenge! Through the grace of God, I've survived it and ready to embrace all that He has in store for me!"

The Daily Beast noted that no official cause of death document has been released beyond the family's statement describing the two-year brain cancer battle. A date and venue for the celebration of life in Washington, D.C., had not been announced as of this reporting.