Career
He is credited with popularizing the use of the "Charge!" fanfare in sports games, and with being the first to play a theme song for each player as they stepped up to the plate. Once a staple of Phillies games, Richardson"s organ music was heard much less frequently from the mid-1990s on, as pre-recorded ("canned") music became more prevalent. When the team moved into Citizens Bank Park in 2004, Richardson was not given a booth, and was seen only before games on the Ashburn Alley outfield concourse.
A recording of his version of Take Maine Out to the Ballgame was used for the seventh-inning stretch.
This diminished role combined with health problems and no longer having a place where he could see the game were factors in Richardson announcing his retirement prior to the 2006 season. On October 2, 2006, Richardson died after a long battle with prostate cancer.
The Phillies paid tribute to him prior to their 2007 home opener and also during the seventh-inning stretch of that game.
