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MIDDLETOWN — Bluegrass fans are mourning the loss of Paul "Moon" Mullins, a radio legend and former Middletown resident, who died Sunday, Aug. 3, at age 71.

Mullins had Parkinson's disease and was at the Hillspring of Springboro Health Care Center when he died.

Mullins, a Frenchburg, Ky., native, made his way to Middletown in 1964, when he began working for WPFB AM radio, where he developed a reputation as one of the best broadcasters in the business, making an impact that people still remember today.

"He was an influential part of the lives of thousands of thousands of people ... he spoke directly to his audience members, and he could make a personal connection with the listener immediately on everyday levels," said his son, Joe Mullins, a bluegrass musician and broadcaster for WBZI radio in Xenia.

Dan Humphreys, a salesman for WPFB, said Mullins was "a very proud fellow. He was dignified, he was honest and he absolutely loved bluegrass music. He was a good showman and a superb announcer ... if he told you so-and-so was a good mechanic, you believed it."

"Moon" Mullins was given the Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award in 2007 by Cityfolk, the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Folk Arts Network. He also worked with bluegrass legends like Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, the Osborne Brothers and Ricky Skaggs. One of his first professional jobs was playing the fiddle for the Stanley Brothers.

Mullins worked for WPFB until 1989, then he broadcasted from WBZI, retiring in 2005. He had lived in Franklin Twp.

His other honors included being named Broadcaster of the Year in 2000 by the International Bluegrass Music Association, who also gave him its distinguished achievement award.

When asked in 2007 what made him so successful, he replied, "I do it my way. I get the job done, you know?"

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Anderson Funeral Home, 40 N. Main St., Springboro, with burial to follow in Miami Cemetery in Waynesville. Visitation will be from 3 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday Aug. 6, at the funeral home, with Masonic services at 7 p.m. The family suggests memorials be made to the Neuroscience Institute Department at the University of Cincinnati.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.