Radio Ulster broadcaster Walter Love dies aged 88
- Published
Walter Love was known for his love of jazz
The veteran BBC Northern Ireland broadcaster Walter Love has died at the age of 88.
He hosted Radio Ulster's Day By Day and Love in the Afternoon, and presented Sunday staple Love Forty.
With a broadcasting career spanning 77 years, Jazz Club with Walter Love aired its final show in 2023.
In a statement, his family confirmed he passed away on Friday morning in a nursing home after a short illness.
Mr Love was inducted into the Phonographic Performance Ireland Radio Awards Hall of Fame in 2014 for recognition of his skill and passion.
He started out as a freelance contributor to BBC radio in the 1950s, before landing a job as a studio manager in London.
He then spent a decade as a TV newsreader in Belfast before joining Radio Ulster in 1978.
Walter Love's career spanned several decades
His relatives said he was "a dearly loved member of the Love family".
In 1997, he was awarded an MBE for his services to broadcasting.
Director of BBC Northern Ireland Adam Smyth described he was an "incredible performer on air" and was "genial, kind and cheerful".
He added Mr Love had "a hint of mischief".
"He loved presenting radio programmes and his melodious voice, ability to create rapport, and his encyclopaedic knowledge of music made him one of our longest-serving and best-loved broadcasters," Mr Smyth continued.