Andy Kershaw, the BBC Radio 1 DJ known for his eclectic music taste and Live Aid coverage, has died at the age of 66, his family has confirmed. The broadcaster spent nearly three decades at the corporation, hosting a weekly show on Radio 1 from 1985 to 2000.
Kershaw began his BBC career in 1984 on the rock music programme Whistle Test and co-presented the corporation's television coverage of Live Aid. He revealed in January that he was undergoing treatment for cancer after tumours were discovered in his spine last August.
Born in Rochdale, he studied at the University of Leeds and started at Radio Aire before being spotted working as a roadie for Billy Bragg. He joined Radio 1 in 1985, where his sister Liz Kershaw also worked. Writing on X, she said: 'I've lost my best friend.'
Kershaw was viewed as a successor to John Peel but developed his own style, championing world music from Africa and beyond. His Radio 1 show was axed in 2000, after which he reported for BBC Radio 4 from conflict zones including Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and recorded radio diaries from North Korea.
He received multiple Sony Radio Academy awards and joined BBC Radio 3 in 2001, leaving in 2007 after personal problems. He later released an autobiography, No Off Switch, and launched a podcast. In a statement about his cancer diagnosis, he said he was in 'good spirits' and determined to outlive several public figures.
