Andreas 'Red' Evans dies at 75

Andreas "Red" Evans, a former WBCD-TV news director and anchorman who went to Washington as an aide and lobbyist before finally settling down as an antique dealer, fiction writer and blogger, died Sunday after an extended illness. He was 75.

Evans spent 30 years in broadcasting, starting as "The Rockin' Redhead," spinning Elvis and The Drifters records for several Lowcountry radio stations before he joined Sen. Fritz Hollings' congressional staff in Charleston in 1966.

He joined Channel 2 two years later, running the news department and covering local events for a decade. Evans told The Post and Courier in 1997 that his favorite part of his broadcasting career wasn't anchoring the desk or being news director. "The most fun time of my life was working on the street."

Marie Evans, Red's wife of 50 years, said her husband was still recognized for his time on the air. Even in the last 38 days he spent in the hospital, doctors and nurses noticed him, Marie said.

In 1978, Evans left television and joined U.S. Rep. Mendel J. Davis' staff as his press secretary in Washington. He turned to lobbying in the early 1980s and stayed in Washington until 1994, when he and Marie decided to retire to his hometown of Charleston.

Evans wrote three books, including the humorous fiction book "On Ice," published in September.

Marie said they had just received a call from his agent Sunday, saying there was interest in publishing one of his three other books.

"Everybody gets a kick out of the books he wrote," Marie said.

His writing extended to his blog, also called "On Ice."

Evans is survived by Marie and their four children: Dorothy, Herbert, Michael and David. They have 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Arrangements will be announced by Stuhr's Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant.