Local Phoenix radio personality Bill Heywood and his wife Susan were found dead in Scottsdale on Wednesday. The couple were found shot to death at the Homewood Suites Hotel near Scottsdale and Mountain View roads. The hotel staff found a suicide note in one of the rooms about 1 p.m. Wednesday.
It is being called a suicide.
The police were called by the hotel staff. Bill and Susan Heywood were found dead inside the room by officers. Details were not initially released to the public by police investigators.
There are no suspects at this time in the case.
The Heywoods were reported to be dealing financial hardships and had filed for bankruptcy in August 2009. They had lost their Biltmore area home to foreclosure nearly 2 years ago. Susan Heywood had also been suffering from undisclosed, but serious medical issues.
They are survivied by their daughter Nicole Heywood-Cooper.
Susan Heywood was active in aiding homeless pets. Both were Scottsdale residents. They were both part of many Valleywide philanthropic causes including the Starlight Children's Foundation Sparkling Starry Soiree fund-raiser in 2011, the Arthritis Foundation, Crisis Nursery, Fresh Start Women's Foundation, Herberger Theater Center and Hospice of the Valley.
This is a quick trip through the career that was Bill Heywood's. He was the popular host of shows on KTAR for several decades. His career was distinguished in radio and had been named the Number 1 radio personality on 3 different years by Billboard magazine. Bill Heywood spent 15 years of his radio career with KOY-AM (1230) and the now defunct KOY-FM.
In the 1970s that he was given a small part in the local movie "A Fire in the Sky," a 1978 TV movie about a comet hurtling toward Phoenix. In 1987, he was replaced by Glenn Beck. Heywood was such a hot radio star in the 1970s. "A Fire in the Sky," a 1978 TV movie about a comet hurtling toward Phoenix. Heywood worked on KTAR-AM (620) and on the morning show on KFYI-AM (550) with Heidi Foglesong until 2003. KTAR-AM hired him to do the morning news show in 2005. That was his last regular spot with the station.
They were among the most notable of local Phoenix residents and great examples of the Arizona spirit.
The City of Phoenix will miss the Bill and Susan Heywood, as will the rest of the nation. Radio will not be the same without the influencial voice of Bill Heywood.
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