Dieter Ruehle Is Back as the Lakers Organist for the First Time Since 2016, and It's the Best Move the Lakers Have Made

Dieter Ruehle is coming back to the Lakers. The organist who has made Dodger Stadium and Crypto.com Arena on Kings nights sound like nowhere else in sports is returning to the Lakers as organist and musical director, ten years after he left the job. The news was first reported Thursday night by Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune.

Ruehle is keeping both of his other jobs. He stays on as the Dodgers organist and as music director and organist for the LA Kings, which means one man now plays for three of the biggest teams in Los Angeles. His profile on X already reads music director and organist for the Kings and the Lakers, and organist for the Dodgers.

We have said it for a long time: Dieter is the reason a night at Dodger Stadium feels the way it does. Losing him was one of the biggest misses the Lakers have made with their game experience, and getting him back is the best thing they could have done for the building.

Why Dieter Ruehle Left the Lakers in 2016

Ruehle resigned as the Lakers organist in September 2016, a few months after Kobe Bryant's final game. He announced it himself on X, and said his sub, Joel Jacobson, would take over the job.

By his own count that was 15 seasons with the team, a run that covered the Shaq and Kobe years and the back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The Sporting Tribune puts his time at the organ through five Lakers championships and seven trips to the NBA Finals.

The live organ did not last after he left. By December 2022, Ruehle was posting that the Lakers had no live organist at all that season.

That is the part that always bothered us. A team with the history of the Lakers, in the biggest market in the country, playing recorded music while the best organist in sports was across town at Dodger Stadium.

Why Dieter Is the Best Organist in Sports

Anyone can press play on a playlist. What Ruehle does is read the game and answer it in real time, and he picks songs that fit the moment so well it feels like the building is in on the joke. When a Dodgers game ran past midnight he played "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'." In 2024, when a car caught fire in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, he played "We Didn't Start the Fire."

Fans notice. Holly Robinson Peete posted about him playing "Rock With You" at Dodger Stadium last month.

His résumé goes well beyond Los Angeles baseball. Ruehle opened his 31st season with the Kings this week, and he has played seven Olympic Games, including the Milan Cortina hockey tournament this February, where Snoop Dogg asked on the broadcast whether that was him on the keys.

The Lakers connection runs deeper than one job, too. Lon Rosen, now the Lakers' president of business operations, gave Ruehle his first professional job in 1984, playing for the LA Lazers indoor soccer team when he was 15. Rosen has said what Ruehle brings is "not just background music," and that is exactly right.

The Lakers Organ Already Sounds Better

The news broke after the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 114-110 in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, and before tipoff Lakers Nation's Daniel Starkand was already celebrating Ruehle being back on the organ.

We were watching, and the organ sounded much better than it has in years. It sounded like an organ being played by someone reacting to the game, not a sound effect. That is the whole difference, and it will only get louder once the regular season starts and the building is full.

It also comes at the right time. The Lakers lost Lawrence Tanter, the greatest PA announcer in sports history, when he retired this summer. Bringing back the other signature sound of the Lakers' best years keeps some of that game-night identity in the building.

Our grade is an A+, and if we could go higher we would. This is the easiest call the Lakers have made in years. They get the best organist in sports, a Los Angeles name every fan in this city already knows, and a game-night sound that matches the franchise again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Lakers organist?

Dieter Ruehle is returning as the Lakers organist and musical director for the 2026-27 season. He played organ for the Lakers for 15 seasons before resigning in September 2016, and he remains the organist for the Dodgers and the music director and organist for the LA Kings.

When did Dieter Ruehle leave the Lakers?

Ruehle resigned as the Lakers organist in September 2016, a few months after Kobe Bryant's final game. He announced it on X and said his sub, Joel Jacobson, would become the new Lakers organist.

Why did the Lakers get rid of the organ?

The Lakers did not have a live organist by the 2022-23 season, which Ruehle himself pointed out on X in December 2022. The team has not publicly explained the change. With Ruehle's return, the live organ is back at Lakers games.

Is Dieter Ruehle still the Dodgers organist?

Yes. Ruehle keeps his job as the Dodgers organist, a role he took over full-time in 2016 after filling in for Nancy Bea Hefley. He also stays with the Kings, where he is in his 31st season.

Does Dieter Ruehle play for the Kings and the Lakers?

Yes. Ruehle is music director and organist for the LA Kings and now organist and musical director for the Lakers. Both teams play at Crypto.com Arena, so the same organist will be in the building for both.

Who first reported Dieter Ruehle's return to the Lakers?

Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune reported it on Thursday night, October 8, 2026.

What songs is Dieter Ruehle known for?

Ruehle is known for picking songs that fit the moment, like "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" when a Dodgers game ran past midnight and "We Didn't Start the Fire" during a car fire in the Dodger Stadium parking lot in 2024.

The Bottom Line on Dieter Ruehle and the Lakers

Dieter Ruehle is back as the Lakers organist and musical director, ten years after he resigned in 2016, and he keeps his jobs with the Dodgers and the Kings. It is the best game-night move the Lakers have made in a long time, and it gets an A+ from us.

Every Lakers jersey and the nights they wear them are in our Lakers 2026-27 uniform schedule, and the floor Ruehle will be playing over is in our look at the new Lakers court. For another team that understands how a ballpark should sound, see why Louisville's Nothing Night is something MLB should copy.