Andy Kershaw, the broadcaster best known for his 15-year stint on BBC Radio 1, has died at the age of 66, his family has confirmed. Kershaw began his BBC career in 1984 as a presenter on the rock music show Whistle Test and co-hosted the corporation's television coverage of Live Aid.
Known for his eclectic musical taste, Kershaw hosted a weekly programme on Radio 1 from 1985 to 2000, championing world music and non-mainstream genres. He once said his mentor John Walters influenced him with the philosophy: “We’re not here to give the public what it wants. We’re here to give the public what it didn’t know it wanted.”
Born in Rochdale and educated at the University of Leeds, Kershaw began his career at Radio Aire in Leeds before being spotted working as a roadie for Billy Bragg. He joined Radio 1 in 1985, where his sister Liz Kershaw also worked as a DJ. Following his Radio 1 show's axing in 2000, he reported for BBC Radio 4, covering the Rwandan genocide and the Sierra Leone civil war, and produced radio diaries from North Korea.
Kershaw received multiple Sony Radio Academy awards and released an autobiography, No Off Switch, in 2011. He revealed in January that he was undergoing cancer treatment after tumours were discovered in his spine. In a statement, he said he was in “good spirits” and joked about his determination to outlive several public figures.
