BBC radio legend and Jackanory star Eugene Fraser has died at the age of 84. The news was announced by his friend and former colleague David Symonds in a social media post.
In the moving tribute, David revealed that Eugene passed away on Thursday, August 27. No cause of death has been given.
Tribute from a lifelong friend
Posting a photo of them together on Facebook, he wrote: "The gentleman on the right slipped quietly through the holes of an STC 4038 yesterday afternoon to take his place in the cosmos.
“Eugene Fraser was more than a friend to me; he was a brother. I have known him longer than I have known my own children."
His beautiful baritone voice was a godsend in the days when voice quality really mattered. Somewhere there's a recording of Eugene telling his technical operator a dirty joke during the pauses in the shipping forecast.
Colleagues and fans pay tribute
He continued: "The presentation editor of Radio Four, Jim Black, called him a genius. I will miss Eugene like crazy, but I shall not grieve. He wouldn't want that. For Eugene Fraser's was a life well lived."
Tributes from fans and former colleagues also flooded in for the star, who became a familiar voice on the airwaves for decades.
One wrote on X: "Eugene was wonderful company and a great Radio 4 newsreader. When I was a reporter in the BBC Radio newsroom in the mid 80s, we would often grab a drink together…full of fun. Hugely amusing guy who always had a witty riposte to hand."
Another posted: "Oh no! Sad news. A titan of a man. A consummate broadcaster and a wonderful soul. He took me under his wing when I arrived at Radio 2 and invited me to stay with him at his home in Petersfield. One night in the village pub after a few pints, he sang operatic arias! RIP Eugene."
A life on the airwaves
A third said: "Very sad news. When we made the satire 'A day in the life of Radio 4', Eugene did all the continuity pieces, including a masterly speeding-up panicky Shipping Forecast with time running out before the pips. A great sport, great company."
"Magnificent voice and delivery... Thank you for allowing us to pay tribute to his years of great work," said a fourth.
A fifth added: "What an absolute gent, and sadly missed. As a T.O. in Continuity in the early 80s, I worked with Eugene, a kind and brilliant Announcer. His Shipping Forecast after a Newsroom Xmas party when a 'refreshed' colleague supplied some rather special sound effects! RIP Eugene."
While a sixth posted: "His voice was unforgettable. His charm was legendary. And for those lucky enough to know him – as colleagues, friends or family – there will always be a candle burning for Eugene in the cathedral of our hearts."
Eugene was born in Fiji in July 1942 and educated in New Zealand before moving to Britain in 1967. It was then he joined the BBC as a newsreader and announcer on Radio 1 and Radio 2. He later voiced the Shipping Forecasts on Radio 4.
He appeared on shows like Night Ride, Brass and Strings and Friday Night is Music Night. He voiced the storyteller in episodes of beloved children's series Jackanory. He also briefly hosted BBC Radio series Singing Together.
