BBC Presenter Gerry Anderson Dies

The BBC radio presenter and broadcaster Gerry Anderson has died at the age of 69, following a long period of illness.

Mr Anderson was born in 1944 in L'Derry and was a long-time and well-known presenter on BBC Radio Ulster. He presented his first programme on BBC Radio Foyle in 1985 and also went on to enjoy a television career, including a chat show in the early 1990s.

Director of BBC NI Peter Johnston said: "Gerry was a man of great wit and mischief but also he brought real wisdom and insight. We will all miss that, not least his loyal listeners for whom Gerry created light in often darker days over the decades."

Former SDLP leader John Hume said Gerry Anderson was "a unique character held in such high regard by many.

"Gerry was a unique character, and Derry and the BBC are a poorer place for his passing. I had such high regard for Gerry who put a smile on the faces of so many people. Pat and I extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Christine and the family, and to all of Gerry's colleagues."

This morning, deputy First Minister and fellow L'Derry native Martin McGuinness tweeted: "Gerry Anderson brightened all our lives,as a broadcaster he had few equals. My sympathy to his wife Christine, their family & #BBC colleagues."

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: "Gerry was an unchained and irrepressible spirit who liberated BBC Radio Ulster at a time when local broadcasting was dominated by rules. Gerry couldn't spell 'rules' and he helped free up all of us who were presenters on Radio Ulster in the 1980s and beyond.

"He was also a very generous, encouraging man who had no fear of rival talent. I first worked with him at an Ulster Grand Prix when I was a sports presenter and he arrived as a roving reporter in white shoes on a dark, wet Saturday when the paddock was a sea of mud. He simply did not see what the problem was. My condolences to his wife Christine, and broader family. The BBC is a poorer place today."

(IT/CD)