This Saturday, November 17, a funeral service will be held for Billy Delle, a longtime WWOZ personality whose “Records From the Crypt” radio show made him a mainstay of New Orleans music culture for more than 20 years.

According to ‘OZ, Delle passed away at 76 from complications relating to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee was WWOZ’s inaugural “Guardian of the Groove” recipient and one of the station’s longest serving volunteer show hosts. On his weekly program, Delle focused on New Orleans R&B from the 1950s and ’60s.

“Billy was beloved by listeners locally and internationally as a fount of knowledge regarding that era of New Orleans music, often drawing from his personal repository of memories and experiences from the time. He encouraged listeners to ‘open your windows, open your doors, and let the music flow out into the street,'” a WWOZ blog post said.

Delle’s funeral service will be held at L.A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home (2607 Williams Blvd., Kenner) at 11 a.m. tomorrow, November 17.