Michael Maher, 73, left a musical legacy when he died Monday.

In a letter Rob Klotz wrote to a friend after Maher’s death at Brandon Woods Retirement Community, Klotz said he described Maher as the “hippest old man ever.”

“He was a man with a sharp, clear and thorough mind,” Klotz said in the letter about his friend and co-worker. “He had an outstanding taste in music, food and film and a strength of spirit that equaled only the gentleness of his heart.”

Klotz began producing Maher’s KANU radio show in 1996. Maher’s “The Vintage Jazz Show” first aired on Saturday mornings in November 1981 when he was also teaching biology and human anatomy at Kansas University. Maher retired from teaching in 1991 after 23 years, and his show later moved to 8 p.m. Friday. Maher recorded his last show in April, but KANU has been airing previously recorded shows since Maher’s health began to decline.

Klotz will air a memorial show at 8 p.m. Friday featuring interviews with Maher and recordings by his favorite artists, which included Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.

“It will be hard to fit it all in an hour,” Klotz said. “But it will be mostly Michael talking about his life and his passion for jazz.”

Klotz said though Maher’s body was deteriorating, his mind was sharp until the end. Klotz visited Maher last week.

“He wanted to give me his jazz records,” Klotz said. “The radio station didn’t have a lot of the things he had. He had been collecting for more than 60 years. I’ll decide what the station should have and give the rest to his family.”

Klotz estimated that Maher’s jazz collection numbered more than 5,000 recordings.

Bob McWilliams, KANU’s jazz director, said Maher’s death left a void at the radio station.

“If you lose somebody with Michael’s gifts and talents, it’s never replaceable,” he said.

Maher’s knowledge went beyond jazz music of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, McWilliams said. McWilliams said he shared a variety of common interests with Maher, including baseball history and movies.

“Perhaps what is most identifying about Michael is his breadth,” McWilliams said. “His jazz knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg of his musical interest and knowledge, much less his intellectual knowledge. People only heard a small sliver of what Michael was an expert in.”