Pioneering Charlotte radio broadcaster Hattie Leeper dies at age 98

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queen City is mourning the loss of a true broadcasting icon. Hattie Massey Leeper, affectionately known as “Chatty Hatty,” passed away peacefully Tuesday at 98-years-old.

Leeper made history as the first Black female radio announcer in North Carolina, spending nearly two decades on Charlotte airwaves.

During her storied career, she helped shape the local music landscape by booking and promoting legendary artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Sam Cooke. She later transitioned to the classroom, educating future journalists at Johnson C. Smith University.

Leeper is an inductee of both the Black Radio and North Carolina Music Halls of Fame.