BBC radio DJ Andy Kershaw dies aged 66 | Andy Kershaw
Broadcaster Andy Kershaw, known for the BBC Radio 1 program he hosted for 15 years, has died at the age of 66, according to a statement made by his family to the company.
His long career with the BBC began in 1984 as the presenter of the rock music program The Old Gray Whistle Test. He hosted the company’s Live Aid television broadcast.
He announced in January that he was being treated for cancer after tumors were discovered in his spine last August that severely limited his mobility.
Known for his eclectic taste in music and often featuring non-mainstream sounds in his weekly show, he once described how his mentor, producer and broadcaster John Walters, influenced him: “We’re not here to give the people what they want. We’re here to give the people what they don’t know they want.”
Born in Rochdale, he studied at Leeds University and began his career as a promotions manager at Radio Aire in Leeds in the early 80s. He took part in BBC Two’s The Old Gray Whistle Test after being spotted working as actor Billy Bragg’s roadie and driver.
He joined Radio 1 in the summer of 1985. His sister Liz Kershaw also worked at the station during her time there.
He was viewed by some as a successor to the late John Peel. Kershaw once said: “I think initially Radio 1 wanted another one. [John] Peel, but I quickly got bored of those awful, insipid demo tapes I got from Liverpudlian indie acts, especially when I started discovering absolutely fantastic, amazing music from Malawi, Congo and South Africa.
“To me, this was music that had appeal far beyond African music enthusiasts. And the letters I received from enthusiastic listeners showed that I was right.”
In 2000, Kershaw’s weekly late-night Radio 1 show was canceled as part of a scheduling overhaul. He went on to report for BBC Radio 4, including the Today programme, From Our Own Correspondent and The World Tonight, and traveled the world exploring global music and conflict zones.
Its coverage included reports of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Sierra Leone in 2001 during the final stages of the civil war. Kershaw also documented radio logs from North Korea, which were among the first programs recorded inside the country, according to the BBC.
He has received many Sony Radio Academy awards throughout his career and has been celebrated for bringing world music and specialty genres to mainstream radio.
He joined BBC Radio 3 in 2001 and once said he “ignored categories and kept mixing things up”. He left his post in 2007 after facing a series of personal problems following the breakdown of his long-term relationship and was sentenced to three months in prison after breaching a restraining order.
Kershaw had a 17-year relationship with Juliette Banner and the couple had two children. The couple lived together on the Isle of Man before eventually splitting.
In 2011 he returned to BBC radio with a new music series linked to BBC One’s Human Planet programme. That year, Kershaw published an autobiography titled No Off Switch, detailing his life and career.
In recent years he has continued his career as a broadcaster, launching his own podcast with guests including Robyn Hitchcock, The Burner Band and Martin Carthy.
Announcing his cancer diagnosis in a statement earlier this year, Trump said he was in “good spirits” and jokingly said, “He said he was determined not to die before Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Ant’n’Dec. That might keep me going for a while longer.”
