Michael J. Gonsalves
WARWICK, R.I.
Michael J. Gonsalves, 40, was a well-known Rhode Island radio disc jockey and the self-proclaimed ''Doctor'' of heavy metal. Gonsalves had been a staff disc jockey at WHJY radio for more than 17 years, and he was host of the ''Metal Zone,'' the longest-running heavy-metal show in the country.
Gonsalves, who grew up in Providence and moved to Warwick in 1993, also moonlighted as a morning DJ at Foxy Lady in Providence, where he hosted the weekly "Legs and Eggs" event. In addition, he was co-owner of the All Star Sports Cards and Comics, in North Providence.
"A lot of people knew him as `The Doctor,' but that wasn't all that Mike was about," said Jonathan N. Gonsalves, 30, who remembered his brother fondly as an athlete and sports enthusiast. "He was an extreme Red Sox fan, I mean it was fanatical how much he loved that team."
For the past two years, Michael Gonsalves attended the Boston Baseball Fantasy Camp in Florida, his brother said. Last year, he was named the fantasy camp's Most Valuable Player.
"He just loved it," said Gonsalves. "He did it to be a Red Sox, if only for a week. It gave him a chance to rub elbows with his heroes, guys like Luis Tiant and Johnny Pesky. We had his Red Sox jersey mounted at the wake. It was number 19 because his favorite player was Fred Lynn."
During his high school years at the former Our Lady of Providence High School, Michael Gonsalves lettered in baseball and tennis. He graduated from high school in 1980, and continued his tennis career at Rhode Island College. Two of Gonsalves' fraternity brothers at Rhode Island College have established an endowment fund in his memory to provide scholarships for students who want to go into broadcasting, Jonathan Gonsalves said.
"It's something Mike would really like," Gonsalves said. "He was all about helping people. He touched so many people's lives."
BRENDA BUOTE
