Broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray has died at the age of 75, her family has announced. In a statement to the Daily Mail, they described her as a “much loved mum and wife”. Murray was best known as the longest-serving presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, hosting the programme for three decades.
Tributes have poured in from across the broadcasting and political worlds. Former Labour deputy leader Baroness Harriet Harman called Murray “the broadcasting wing of the women’s movement”, while outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie described her as a “broadcasting icon”. Author Liz Fraser recalled her “deep, no bullshit, authoritative but somehow equally soothing” voice.
Murray announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Woman’s Hour in 2006 and later became a vice-patron for Breast Cancer Now. Rachael Franklin, chief engagement officer for the charity, said she was “incredibly grateful” for Murray’s work raising awareness of the disease.
During her career, Murray interviewed numerous high-profile figures, including Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton, and Bette Davis. She was appointed OBE in 1999 and made a dame in 2011. Murray left Woman’s Hour in October 2020, signing off with Helen Reddy’s feminist anthem I Am Woman.
