Photo Credit: Matt Pinfield by Ryan Van Etten / CC by 2.0
Former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield suffered a stroke earlier this month, leaving him incapacitated, court documents reveal.
New Jersey native Matt Pinfield, a local radio DJ who became instantly recognizable in the music world as an MTV VJ, suffered a stroke on January 6 that has left him “incapacitated.”
The 63-year-old is in stable but “poor” condition, incapable of physical movement or making cognitive decisions. His daughters, Jessica and Maya, brought forth a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting a temporary conservatorship.
The petition, obtained by the Asbury Park Press, also requests that Pinfield’s girlfriend, Kara Brown, not be notified of the attempt to obtain conservatorship. Brown and attorneys for the Pinfields did not respond to media requests for comment.
Matt Pinfield started his DJ career out of his East Brunswick family home on a faint radio signal station. In the 1980s, he drew a large following at the Melody Bar, which hosted notable figures like Mick Jones of The Clash, Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff, and beat poet Gregory Corso. Regulars included future stars like Mario Batali, James Gandolfini, and Jane Krakowski.
Pinfield helped alt-rockers The Cure and R.E.M. break into the mainstream through his time as program director at WHTG-FM, which was later cited as an industry leader by Rolling Stone.
When MTV came calling, Pinfield was one of the channel’s early VJs — “video jockeys” introducing music videos. He hosted “120 Minutes” from 1995 to 1999. More recently, he returned to his radio roots on Los Angeles’ KCSN rock station.
Fans became concerned when Pinfield, a frequent poster online, seemingly dropped off social media around three weeks ago. The petition filed by his daughters reveals why.
“Starting another week with gratitude for a life surrounded by great people, life-changing music, and unforgettable experiences that I never take for granted,” Pinfield wrote on his most recent post. “Here’s to another week — another day — open heart and open mind. Let’s rock!”