Banks was honored in 2005 at the 12th Annual Living Legends Foundation Gala in New York City for his contributions as a trailblazer in the radio entertainment community. In January 2006, he launched the Doug Banks Literacy & Scholarship Initiative.
In 2008, Banks launched a new afternoon show on V103 that featured Dear Doug letters and his famous Adult Conversation. His co-host was Dee Dee Renee.
According to Banks’ V103 biography, he began his career at his high school’s radio station where he was noticed and given a late-night weekend spot on the radio station in town. Once he graduated, Banks landed a position at KDAY in Los Angeles. From there, Banks secured his own morning show in Las Vegas, San Francisco and eventually in Chicago.
Friends, fans, celebrities, and colleagues took to Twitter to remember Banks:
BREAKING NEWS: I am stunned to hear of the death of Doug Banks. I heard he was not doing well and had failing kidneys. This is just so hard.