Brian David McCullough

1955 - 2025

Brian David McCullough

Montague, MA - Brian David McCullough, 70, died at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts, on December 2, 2025, from complications of pancreatic cancer. He had been living in Montague, Massachusetts since mid-July 2025 with his primary caregiver, Kristi Bodin, while receiving support from Cooley Dickinson VNA and Hospice. He was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on November 2, 1955. He was the son of Calvin Coolidge McCullough and June Elizabeth (Sherman) McCullough, who predeceased him. He attended local schools and celebrated milestones with the class of 1973 of Amherst Regional High School.

Starting in 1987, he became the morning announcer of local heritage radio station, WTTT, Amherst 1430 which, for seven years, also made him the host of "the tag sale of the airwaves," the perennial favorite Swaps. Leaving WTTT in 1993 Brian would again become involved in broadcasting early in 2001 as co-host with local legend Buddy Rubbish on Bear Country 95.3, and Buddy and Brian live from the Peppercorn Ranch in which his role was to play classic country hits and attempt to keep Buddy from veering too deeply into his favorite topic of any day, baseball. He was largely successful in this endeavor, and the show proved very popular for the duration of its run. Brian was particularly proud of having acted as the newsman aiding Rachel Maddow in her local coverage of the ongoing events of 9/11 as they happened on that morning in 2001.

Quite by accident, Brian began a singing career in 1993 which lasted 30 years, performing in character as Texas rockabilly and later mainstream star, Roy Orbison. Through costuming and the careful application of dyes and makeup, Brian was able to recreate the sight and sound of Roy performing such hits as "Crying," "Running Scared," "California Blue," "Only the Lonely," "Leah," "Blue Bayou" and the biggest of all, "Oh, Pretty Woman."

Working for the premier tribute show Legends in Concert, Brian appeared in shows at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Branson, Missouri, and aboard a great number of cruise ship stages throughout the Caribbean. His own productions would have him on stages up and down the coastal United State and on extended tours based in Palm Springs, California, Mexico, and in casinos across southern Canada, with one breakout appearance in Dublin, Ireland. His portrayal of Orbison at Stage West in Mississauga, Ontario, was a show he wrote to feature Canadian Hall of Fame broadcaster Nevin Grant. And through its popularity, he was invited to return with it three times. Finally, and of particular pride to Brian, was his 2011 performance for Don Bowers Productions at the historic Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, New York. Three shows presented in various parts of the world were selected by Barbara Orbison and the Orbison estate to be official representations of Roy at the time the star would have turned 75 years old had he been alive. One was in Australia, one happened in Britain, and Brian's show was the only one in the Americas north or south, with Barbara sending gifts and memorabilia for attendees to mark the star's passing.

Brian was also an expert genealogist and local historian. He spent many years researching family lines and stories and helped many others do the same.

Brian is survived by his caregiver and ex-wife, Kristi A. Bodin; his daughters, Andari Akira Kai of Effingham, South Carolina and Amanda (McCullough) Saucedo of San Antonio, Texas; his sister, Paula (McCullough) Barrows: six grandchildren, as well as three nieces, and many cousins. He also leaves the mother of his children; and his business manager and partner in South Carolina. Another sister, Melanie Elizabeth McCullough, predeceased Brian in infancy.

Family and friends are invited to visiting hours on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Douglass Funeral Service, 87 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA.

Brian McCullough will lie in the Historic Park Street Cemetery in Florence, Massachusetts, and will be inurned there in a private ceremony in the spring of 2026 in a family plot with his great grandparents, Arthur and Kate Edwards Hill, and various relatives of his father's Hill family roots. A memorial service is planned for February 21, 2026, at the VFW Post 8006, 18 Meadow Street, Florence. MA, which is across the street from the cemetery and was one of the venues where Brian started out singing Karaoke before his professional career took off.

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations in Brian's memory be made to his GoFundMe titled "Helping Brian McCullough - Lotsa heart and song," which can be found at

https://gofund.me/f385e9379

Memorial guestbook can be found www.douglassfuneral.com