Tom Magliozzi Of 'Car Talk' Has Died At 77

Tom Magliozzi, who is one half of NPR's famed "Car Talk" duo, has died of Alzheimer's Disease at 77.

He and his brother Ray, who were known as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers," started the show in Boston in 1977 and took it national to NPR ten years later. It was a radio staple for decades.

The brothers retired from the show in 2012.

"Tom's been such a dominant, positive personality amongst us for so long that all of us in the public radio family - and I include our millions of listeners - will find this news very difficult to receive," "Car Talk" Executive Producer Doug Berman said in a statement to NPR.

The family is asking that people make donations to the Alzheimer's Association or their favorite public radio station in lieu of sending flowers.