This week the country is mourning the loss of a singular voice from the world of public radio: the voice of Noah Adams.
He passed away peacefully at home at age 84 on Oct. 16, 2026. As an extraordinary coincidence, this was one year to the day of the passing of Susan Stamberg, Noah’s longtime co-host of All Things Considered.
Noah hosted that program for 18 years and then became a special correspondent for NPR for many years, where he explored topics like rural American life and the lived experiences of the low-wage workforce.
His rich and soft baritone voice has been part of our lives for as long as I can remember.
For those of us in Yellow Springs — and for our entire WYSO family — the loss is especially acute, because Noah was our friend and neighbor.
He moved to Yellow Springs in 2009 with his wife, Neenah Ellis. WYSO was transformed by Neenah’s arrival, as she led the station as general manager.
NPR was transformed by Noah and a small cohort of other visionaries, including Susan Stamberg and Nina Totenberg, as they created something new and enduring in the early and mid ‘70s.
Noah, though famous for his voice, is celebrated for his ability to listen, because it’s through listening that an interviewer puts people at ease, makes a connection, and creates a space where they can speak their truths. Noah excelled at this.
He also excelled at the written word, evidenced by the five books he wrote, including the bestselling "Piano Lessons."
I read his beautiful "Piano Lessons" in 1996 when I was a senior in high school. My mom is a piano teacher, and someone had given her the hardcover original edition. I've thought about it ever since.
It's about, among other important truths, the role of art in our lives; and the satisfaction of accomplishing something difficult — in his case, learning to play Schumann's "Traumerei," at age 51, the simple and profound short piano work that the virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz would often play for his encores.
The NPR we appreciate and love today — an American institution that continues to provide public service journalism and moments of beauty for all of us — would not exist without visionaries like Noah Adams.
Our heroes are leaving us, but their legacies endure.
On behalf of our entire organization, today and always, WYSO pays tribute to Noah Adams.
How can we say thank you for his lifetime of service? We can continue to listen and learn from his unmistakable voice, both its sound and the words he left on the page.
