Late WMMR DJ Pierre Robert to be memorialized in Rittenhouse Square

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The late radio DJ Pierre Robert will be memorialized with a bench in Rittenhouse Square, a favorite spot of the beloved Philadelphia figure.

Pierre Robert died unexpectedly last October. Foul play was ruled out, but the cause was never revealed.

Three days before his passing, Robert posted a selfie photo of himself relaxing with a cup of coffee and reading a novel on a bench, with the caption: “Sunday afternoon in Philly in my beloved Rittenhouse Square, with a great book, a cup of La Colombe, watching the world lazily drift by… pretty close to perfection.”

The book he was reading that day is anything but lazy and drifting, befitting the taste of a rock DJ: Carl Hiaasen’s best-selling “Fever Beach” (2025) is a farcical thriller that the New York Times described as a “bottomless margarita” set in Florida populated by corrupt politicians, “geriatric alcoholic philanthropists” and a right-wing hate group operating out of a sex toy distribution company.

Friends of Rittenhouse Square has announced that the same bench Robert was sitting on that day will be named in his memory.

Robert had a long history in Rittenhouse Square, which he was known to admire when the radio station he worked for, WMMR, had windows overlooking the park.

Robert worked for WMMR for 44 years and was embraced by a wide swath of people in the Philadelphia region. He has a star in the city’s Walk of Fame along South Broad Street.

“People love him so much because he was authentic,” said his longtime friend David Uosikkinen of the band The Hooters, at the time of Robert’s death.

Friends of Rittenhouse Square is a 50-year-old nonprofit that tends to the maintenance and beautification of the park. The park has been ranked as one of the best in the country.

The Friends group is seeking donations for the memorial, likely to be dedicated in May.