Radio One DJ and Live Aid presenter Andy Kershaw dies aged 66 following cancer battle

Former BBC Radio 1 DJ and Live Aid presenter Andy Kershaw has died aged 66 following a battle with cancer.

His family confirmed the news on Friday afternoon, saying: He passed away on Thursday evening.

In January, it was announced that the broadcaster was diagnosed with cancer and could not walk.

The DJ said doctors discovered a tumor in his spine last August but insisted: ‘I’m in good spirits, I’m feeling very positive and I’m planning another podcast.

‘I am determined not to die before Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Ant and Dec. This will keep me going for a while longer.’

Close friend Peter Everett said the radio star had been facing serious health problems since his diagnosis.

Andy began his career in 1984 as the presenter of the BBC’s rock music program Old Gray Whistle Test, and later co-hosted the company’s Live Aid television broadcast.

He said: ‘My friend Andy is going through a difficult time. Last August, he was diagnosed with cancer, which mainly affected his spine and left him unable to walk.

‘He has since received treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, physiotherapy and many scans and painkillers.

‘While we haven’t been able to put any podcasts together in the last six months, we’re so grateful to all our patrons and supporters who have stuck with us.’

Andy spent almost three decades working for the BBC and was best known for his Radio 1 show which ran from 1985 to 2000.

He began his career with the company in 1984 as host of the rock music program Old Gray Whistle Test and later co-hosted the company’s Live Aid television broadcast.

The DJ joined Radio 1 as John Peel’s successor and became known for his eclectic taste in music, often featuring non-mainstream sounds on his weekly show.

Andy has also traveled around the world covering conflict and cultural stories for the BBC and has contributed to Radio 4 programs such as From Our Own Correspondent, the Today program and The World Tonight.

Its coverage included reports of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Sierra Leone in 2001 during the final stages of the civil war.

Andy also documented North Korean radio logs, which were among the first programs recorded inside the country, according to the BBC.

The Rochdale-born broadcaster has received several Sony Radio Academy Awards throughout his career and has been celebrated for bringing world music and specialty genres to mainstream radio.

The veteran DJ joined BBC Radio 3 in 2001 but left in 2007 after facing a series of personal problems following the breakdown of his long-term relationship and being jailed after breaching a restraining order.

Andy had a 17-year relationship with restaurateur Juliette Banner and they have two children together, Sonny and Dolly.

The couple moved to the Isle of Man but they separated during their first day there in 2006 when she discovered his infidelity with another journalist.

Andy and his former partner, restaurateur Juliette Banner, were together for 17 years and have two children together, Sonny and Dolly – the couple split in 2006 (pictured in 2004)

Andy’s prison sentence led to him starting a relationship with girlfriend Catherine Turner (filmed in 2007)

It was reported: ‘On the first day, his dreams were disrupted when he borrowed his mobile phone and discovered a message on it from a woman with whom he had a one-night stand at the Womad festival (“It alluded to a fling in the Reading area”).’

Andy wrote in his 2011 autobiography, No Off Switch, that the encounter had so little significance that he didn’t even bother deleting the message.

He called himself a ‘selfish idiot’, implying that he was incapable of loyalty.

His book is full of references to beautiful, intelligent women he can’t resist, and he writes things like: ‘I treated Melanie, the sweetest and most loving of girlfriends, disgracefully.’

Juliette took out a one-year restraining order against Andy, who refused to accept the breakdown of their relationship.

Andy has been imprisoned three times and arrested many more times for violating the terms of a restraining order banning him from contacting her.

After pleading guilty he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for two years and left the Isle of Man to sort out his problems.

In 2012, he told the judge he lost everything after pursuing Juliette following their breakup.

He said: ‘I lost my children. I lost the woman I loved. I lost everything. It’s a very difficult time for me. I just want peace and quiet.’

However, Andy’s stint in prison led to him starting a relationship with his girlfriend, Catherine Turner.

She had first met and interviewed the financial expert 17 years ago, and after he was released from prison, Catherine suggested he call her to talk, sparking their romantic relationship.

Andy’s older sister Liz Kershaw, 67, is one of the longest-serving female national radio DJs in the UK, having been in radio for over 30 years.

Andy was born in Lancashire on 9 November 1959. His parents, Jack and Eileen Kershaw, were headmaster and headmistress.

Her older sister, Liz Kershaw, 67, is one of the longest-serving female national radio DJs in the UK and has been working in radio for over 30 years.

In 2022, he claimed the BBC had ‘done him a favour’ after accusing them of sacking him because he was over 60.

Her departure from BBC Radio 6 Music after 20 years in March the same year reignited criticism of the company’s treatment of older women, as she tweeted: ‘I’ve been sacked from @BBC6Music because they don’t want women over 60.’

A BBC insider denied the claims of sexism and ageism, pointing out that Liz had recently presented a four-part Radio 2 series about the best-selling musical acts of the Queen’s reign as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

But he stood by his claims, saying: ‘I don’t want this to be all about me because I think it’s a bigger issue than that. At the same time, I don’t think this is a job for life and you have to make room for new people.

‘But it seems quite remarkable that there are so many men in their sixties, seventies and eighties on these pop stations, while there are almost no women.’

A spokesman for the BBC said at the time: ‘All radio programs change over time and after 16 episodes of Liz Kershaw’s Legends In Their Own Lunchtime in one year, we wanted to explore other music stories.

‘No other factors factored into the decision and we are proud to have a diverse range of presenters on TV and radio.’