A beloved Chicago radio host who battled a debilitating neurological disorder for years has died by suicide at a clinic in Switzerland.
WGN Radio host Judy Markey, 82, died “peacefully” Sept. 11 with her family by her side, her co-host Katie O’Malley said. The name of the clinic has not been disclosed.
There are two suicide clinics in Switzerland – Dignitas in Zurich, which only accepts terminally ill patients, and Pegasos in Basel, where any adult can choose to commit suicide.
Markey’s body began to break down shortly after she was diagnosed with an undisclosed neurological disorder in 2024, O’Malley said.
The journalist decided to take her own life under Swiss law on medical aid in dying shortly after her diagnosis.
She made her choice after living a “full and rich life” in which she received “more than she could ever imagine,” Markey’s obituary said.
Markey was supported in her decision by both her family and friends, the report said.
According to O’Malley, the 82-year-old’s “determination never wavered once she made her decision and chose a date.”
Markey and O’Malley co-hosted the popular show Katy and Judy on WGN-AM from 1989 to 2009, amassing a huge following of fans dubbed “girlfriends.”
WGN radio host Judy Markey passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on September 11, 2026 at the Medical Aid in Dying clinic in Switzerland.
Katie O’Malley (left) and Markie (right) co-hosted the popular show Katie and Judy on WGN-AM from 1989 to 2009.
On the couple’s daily morning show, the duo talked openly with their audience about sex, marriage, parenting, family squabbles and aging.
The show relied heavily on listeners calling in to share personal stories and ask the hosts for advice.
Politicians, writers and celebrities often attended the show in an attempt to reach a “wide Chicago audience,” Markey’s obituary said.
The duo even spoke about their support for assisted suicide on the program, according to O’Malley, who described euthanasia as “a very personal choice, but one that we believe should be available to those who choose it.”
Four years after “The Katy and Judy Show” ended its 20-year run, Markey and O’Malley brought the program back as a weekly Saturday morning show.
The program ceased broadcasting in 2017.
Markie was born in Ohio but moved to Los Angeles with her parents and younger brother when she was 13 years old.
As a high school senior, she moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern Medill, an institution known for its journalism program.
O’Malley said the Katie and Judy team got together a few weeks ago (pictured) and “shared hours of laughter, tears and goodbyes.”
O’Malley (left) and Markey (right) with their colleague Spike O’Dell (center). In her post, O’Dell described Markey as someone who is “very confident, bold and not afraid to tell you exactly what she thinks.”
But her withdrawal from Beverly Hills High School had a lot to do with the fact that Northwestern had no foreign language requirement.
She had trouble speaking French and was warned by her teacher in Los Angeles that, according to her obituary, “she would never speak any foreign language.”
Markey went on to study journalism at Northwestern University and after graduation lived in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Evanston, Illinois with her first husband, Tom Markey.
They moved abroad for seven years, living in Rome, Paris and Amsterdam. It is reported that during her stay abroad, Markie mastered Italian and then French.
She and Tom had two children, Erin and Adam.
Although their youngest son, Adam, was born in Europe, the couple primarily raised their family in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette.
Markie, as a mother, was a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times. She has also written for The New York Times and Cosmopolitan Magazine and authored several books.
In addition to hosting her popular radio program, Markey worked on local television in Chicago in the 1990s.
Markie, pictured in her obituary, loved her husband, family and dogs.
Marky is remembered for her dedication to motherhood. She is pictured with her daughter Erin in a photo released to mark Daughter’s Day 2024.
She hosted a documentary show called Chicago Slices, in which she covered stories of interest to city residents, as well as the WPWR show What the El, in which she interviewed commuters on public transportation.
Her journalism work earned her induction into Northwestern Medill’s Hall of Achievement.
She has also been named one of the 100 most influential women in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business magazine and one of the top 100 talk show hosts in the United States by Talkers magazine.
Markey married her second husband, Northwestern University professor Tom Collinger, in 2002.
She and Collinger spent time at their second home in Tucson, Arizona, traveling the world and caring for their two dogs, Willie and Toby.
She is survived by Collinger, her children, stepchildren and two granddaughters.
“She was a mother, wife and friend to many,” O’Malley wrote in her tribute.
“She was a lover of pretty flowers, a popular newspaper columnist, a voracious reader, a terrible driver, a talented writer, a lover of cheese and good wine, a keen and funny observer of the human condition, a big fan of control, a sweet dresser and one of the few people who made me feel tall.”
Most remember Markey for her contributions to journalism, especially in Chicago.
WGN representatives Chris Collins, Dave Inet, Cathy O’Malley, Don Okamoto, Steve Bertrand, Judy Markey and Anne Maxfield attend a memorial for late WGN radio director Lorna Gladstone in September 2025.
Markie’s WGN colleague Spike O’Dell also paid tribute to the late talk show host, calling her “one of a kind.”
He said Markie was “very confident, bold and not afraid to tell you exactly what she was thinking.”
“When WGN first paired Katie and Judy and put them on the air as an experiment, I remember telling some people, ‘No… this will never work.’ Damn, I was wrong! Fortunately, this is indeed wrong! he wrote.
“Kathy and Judy’s radio audiences were some of the most loyal I have ever seen in my 33 years on the air.”
