Pollard hosted Rhythm and Praise on MIX 92.3 FM for three decades and was known for Strong Inspirations on WJLB, making gospel a central, formative part of Detroit life.

Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard, renowned gospel historian, author, longtime Detroit radio host, and Professor Emerita at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, has died, leaving a lasting legacy in Black culture, sacred music, and education.

Family statements emphasized personal loss and asked for prayers for her husband Basil and relatives; funeral arrangements had not yet been announced.

Tributes from former students, colleagues, and friends describe her as a bridge between scholarship and community, enriching listeners, students, and Detroit’s gospel culture alike.

She co-produced McDonald’s Gospelfest and the Motor City Praisefest, and was honored as Gospel Announcer of the Year at the Stellar Awards in 2006.

Her 2009 book When the Church Becomes Your Party: Contemporary Gospel Music was named a Notable Book by the Library of Michigan, and she contributed to major anthologies on Black music and sacred performance.

Her scholarship reached globally, with lectures from Hawaii to New York and internationally in Japan, South Africa, and England; she earned a doctorate from Michigan State University and received UM-Dearborn’s Distinguished Service Award and Susan B. Anthony Award.

She bridged academia, church, and radio, teaching English literature, humanities, and African American culture, and offered an influential Introduction to Gospel Music course at UM-Dearborn.

Her influence was personal as well as professional, mentoring students, shaping gospel choirs, and inspiring thousands through her voice and teaching.

Pollard’s work framed gospel music as history, memory, scholarship, and testimony, and her legacy endures in Detroit’s cultural memory.