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Obituary | Ben Stern Cause of Death, How Did Howard Stern’s Father Die?

Author

Matthew Elliott

Updated on January 18, 2026

Upon his return to SiriusXM after a summer hiatus, Howard Stern broke the news that his father, Ben Stern, had passed away in early June, just after his 99th birthday in July.

Howard broke the news that his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones while reminiscing about his fondness for fountain pens and his desk. Ben celebrated his last birthday with a feast that included his all-time favorite food: Nathan’s hot dogs. Ben was extremely private about his “handicap,” but Howard mentioned that his father had a “secret” glass eye.

Howard said,

“You didn’t ask my father anything.” In other words, “He might go nuclear.”

Howard said,

“I’m sad about it, I am,” when asked about his grief over his father’s passing. The people in my family are weird. You have had previews, and I have always joked about it. When I told my mom that she needed to go see my dying father at the hospice, she was understandably upset. She emphatically states, “No, I’m not going.” When asked, she declined. You’ll come to regret this, I warned him. Leaving is a good idea. I need you to do it for me. “That didn’t even sway her,” he said.

Ashley Stern, Stern’s daughter and a nurse practitioner, eventually persuaded Howard’s grandmother, Howard’s mother, to accompany them.

“After getting ready, my mom spent an hour with my dad at the hospice. My dad passed away a few hours later.

I was probably around 12 when I first heard the voice of Ben Stern, a major character in both the radio show and the life of its host. Even though I enjoyed Tiger Beat and Matt Dillon as much as the next kid (and I did), I was exposed to topics and ideas well beyond my years thanks to Howard as a child of the 1970s, a period of cultural liberalism in film, television, and radio.

My dad worked as an educator in the public schools of the Greater Boston Area. The lack of funds prevented us from hiring a nanny or reliable babysitter. When I was a kid, my parents took me all over the place. When I was four years old, my family took me to see “Annie Hall” and “Saturday Night Fever” at the Loews, where the red cement floor was caked with Coca-Cola. Throughout our two-story house, the sound of Tavares and the Bee Gees reverberated, and the crackle and hiss of Motown records set the mood for second grade. Even though I hadn’t started wearing a bra yet, by the time Howard Stern’s radio show began its 20-year run on terrestrial radio in 1985, he had already spent three years at New York’s WNBC (from which Stern was infamously canceled, as chronicled hilariously in the movie “Private Parts”).

My father was the one who first showed me the Howard Stern show. In his Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, with the windows down, we listened on the way to Hebrew school. When Stern finally got his own show on television, we tuned in during E! Entertainment’s heyday. When he made the switch to satellite radio in 2006, my dad made the leap with him and started listening to SiriusXM.

We were enthralled to the point of intractable fandom by the Wack Pack and Robin Quivers, but what really hooked us was the familiarity in Howard’s stories about his dad and Ben’s stories about Howard.

Over the years, I’ve grown very close to my father. We are true Piscean twins, born a day apart and 31 years apart. It’s possible that my dad and I saw something of our own relationship with our own fathers in Howard’s relationship with his.

Ben, a Jew with Polish ancestry, was a sound engineer in New York City. The Jewish ancestry of my dad’s family also stems from Eastern Europe. My paternal grandfather, who I called “Papa,” was a photographer by day and the owner of a five and dime store in Somerville, Massachusetts. Ray is Howard’s mom, and Reina was my grandma (coincidence, but a parallel nonetheless). My dad didn’t grow up like Howard did, constantly seeking his approval and publicly documenting the intricate emotional dance he and Ben engaged in. My dad always brags about how his dad watched all of his daughter’s softball games.

However, as with most post-Holocaust American Jews, personal tragedies, such as death and drug addiction, served as a connecting tissue between Howard and Ben Stern and the families listening to the show. Howard’s self-esteem plummeted to Kafkaesque depths after hearing recordings of Ben yelling, “Sit down, shut up, you moron!” at him on the radio.

In a 1994 show, Stern shared audio recordings of his father asking him, at the age of nine, if the United States should continue to be a member of the United Nations. With a sincere “Yes,” Howard replied. A world at peace would be a world without war. “Because we don’t want the Japanese any more.” This time Stern, who is only nine years old, laughs heartily. At the same time, Ben scolds young Howard, saying, “I told you not to be stupid, you moron!”

My grandparents’ house, as well as my own growing up home, echoed with variations of that same refrain, a Grecian chorus of disfavor. Both my grandfather and father said it, though my father claims it was always just a joke. Personally, I have a preference for the word “jerk,” which I have used on occasion in moments of extreme parental frustration with my own teenagers. It’s not something I’m proud of doing, but I get it because I know what it really is: love communicated via neurosis and angst.

Howard Stern has often said on air that he never doubted his father’s love for him. They remained close friends as adults. Howard claimed that Ben Stern “never had a sense of fun” when it came to parenting. Joking and other forms of foolishness were not tolerated. This is the generational legacy of the baby boomers and, to some extent, their offspring in Generation X. And that yearning for his father’s approval undoubtedly shaped Stern’s infinite capacity to probe the inner depths of his interviewees in a way that no other talk show host could.

Stern’s impersonations of them, especially as they aged and became infirm, are not only comedic masterworks, but also Shakespearean in their probing of the complexities of the parent-child relationship. Through the decades, Stern’s on-air commentary has frequently addressed the anguish of witnessing the deterioration of one’s own parents, both physically and mentally. My own father is getting closer to his eighties, so hearing and memory loss stories hit close to home.

Howard bought Ben and Ray Stern a computer many years ago, but the two brothers had no idea how to “work the machine.” In large part because my dad has a perpetual war with the ancient Dell desktop in his home office, it remains one of my favorite bits of all time. The computer has an unknown connection to the room’s light switch. I’ve accidentally turned off the switch several times, causing the screen to explode in static and fuzz. My dad gets apoplectic every time. My father has repeatedly referred to me as a “moron.” And as he rants and raves, frantic phone calls are made to distant cousins who have master’s degrees in physics and computer science, followed by the inevitable realization that all that is needed is to flip on the lights and start the computer.

Howard Stern recently announced the death of his father, Ben, in an interview with Dan’s Paper about his artwork.

While Howard has not specified a specific date of death, he has stated that Ben was 99 years old when he died.

Howard has yet to discuss his father’s death on his Sirius XM show.

At the time of this update, Howard’s mother, Ray, is still suffering from serious health problems, which is why she hasn’t returned to her son’s show.

Howard Stern has stated unequivocally that the day he loses his parents will be heartbreaking.

This goes without saying, but Howard has had an extremely close (albeit difficult) relationship with both his mother and father.

His audience feels the same way. This is because Howard has made his parents celebrities.

Howard, like many of his staffers, has found a way to turn his seemingly ordinary parents into recognizable stars.

Given that Howard and his ilk are mostly heard on the radio, that’s quite an accomplishment.

Ben Stern, Howard’s father died at the age of 99:

Ben Stern, the father of radio personality Howard Stern, died at the age of 99.

He lived a long and distinguished life.

This was primarily due to his second son, Howard Stern, who is a well-known radio personality. His father’s death is currently trending on social media.

Who exactly was Ben Stern?

Ben Stern was born in the Polish city of Warsaw. He belonged to a Jewish community and had to overcome many challenges in his life.

When Ben was seven years old, his family relocated to Mogielica, a town forty miles from Warsaw. His father was a spiritual scholar who spent most of his time reading spiritual books.

What was Ben Stern cause of death?

Ben Stern died from Prostate cancer, Ben Stern was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones while reminiscing about his fondness for fountain pens and his desk.

Ben celebrated his last birthday with a feast that included his all-time favorite food: Nathan’s hot dogs.

Ben was extremely private about his “handicap,” but Howard mentioned that his father had a “secret” glass eye.

Obituary And Burial Arrangements

Ben’s funeral arrangements will be revealed by her family. The family and loved ones will share details about the obituary, funeral, and life celebration at the appropriate time. We will do our best to keep you updated on them.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the deceased’s family and friends, who have been struggling with the loss of such an intelligent and compassionate individual.

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