John Thomas Malone III, 62, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away on Feb. 18, 2026, in Huntsville.

Visitation will be 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Huntsville First United Methodist Church. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Coy Hallmark officiating. A private burial will be held at Maple Hill Cemetery.

John was born Oct. 16, 1963 to John Thomas Jr. and Mary Wayne Malone of Fayetteville, Tenn. He graduated from Lincoln County High School in 1981. While still in high school, John became an announcer at WEKR, a radio station in his hometown. It was the beginning of a remarkable career in broadcasting. After decades as an award-winning broadcaster that saw him rise through the ranks, shift from radio to television and back again, John capped off his career by buying and operating the station where his career began as a teen.

John’s career saw him serve as a news anchor, program director, producer, marketing consultant and morning show personality. Also, at different times between 1988 and 1994, John served as a weather reporter for all three of Huntsville’s television news stations while he continued his very popular morning radio program.

In 1999, he became program director at Nashville’s legendary WSM Radio, home of the Grand Ole Opry. In 2002, John returned to the airwaves in Huntsville at WRSA, 96.9. In 2016, he Moved to Tuscaloosa to become the Market President of the IHeart radio stations there until 2020 when he was promoted as the Market president of IHeart Huntsville. But John decided shortly after the promotion to leave IHeart and purchase the radio stations WYTM and WEKR in his hometown of Fayetteville.

The Alabama Broadcasters Association honored John in 2013 with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He had previously been recognized three different times as the city’s “Favorite Air Personality” as selected by readers of The Huntsville Times. He has also won numerous other awards, including being honored by the Associated Press for outstanding spot news coverage.

John consistently embraced opportunities to serve the communities he called home. One of his favorite ways to do that, of course, involved a microphone. He was the master of ceremonies at numerous Huntsville and Fayetteville events for nearly four decades. From the Crescendo Auction to the Dog Ball, he regularly occupied the stage in support of nonprofits and community events. John also served on the boards of many organizations, including Free2Teach, Greater Huntsville Humane Society, Arts Council of Huntsville, Alzheimer’s Association of North Alabama, American Diabetes Association of North Alabama, Panoply Arts Festival, Food Bank of North Alabama, The Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Alabama, Big Spring Jam Music Festival, and The Awards show Committee for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

But John always considered his family to be his greatest success. He is survived by his devoted wife of 38 years, Julie; his son, Jack (Alli); daughter, Mandy Kate Malone Kushner (George); son, Jacob (Rachael); grandchildren, John Thomas V, Ann David, and Yvonne Ray, all of Huntsville. He is also survived by his brother, Brent (Ali) of Fayetteville, Tennessee; nephews, Riley (Amanda), Sawyer, and niece Annalise.

He was preceded in death by his parents John Thomas Jr. and Mary Wayne Malone of Fayetteville.

The family asks that memorial donations may be made to Free 2 Teach, PO Box 1405, Huntsville, AL 35807 or https://free2teach.org, in his honor.