Veteran broadcaster Annie Nightingale dies aged 83
She became the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 when she joined the station in 1970.
Veteran broadcaster Annie Nightingale has died at the age of 83, the BBC has said.
She became the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 when she joined the station in 1970, and went on to become its longest-serving host.
In a statement reported by the BBC, her family said: “Annie Nightingale MBE passed away yesterday at her home in London after a short illness.
“Annie was a pioneer, trailblazer and an inspiration to many. Her impulse to share that enthusiasm with audiences remained undimmed after six decades of broadcasting on BBC TV and radio globally.”
The statement added that a celebration of her life will be taking place in the spring at a memorial service.
Nightingale first broadcast on the BBC in 1963 as a panellist on Juke Box Jury, before joining Radio 1 seven years later.
She remained the station’s only female DJ until 1982, when Janice Long joined, and is credited with helping to pave the way for the likes of Sara Cox, Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball.
As a DJ she has travelled the world, and once said she had been “mugged in Cuba, drugged in Baghdad and bugged in Russia”.
During her trailblazing career, she was the first woman to present the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test music show which aired on BBC Two and has written two autobiographical books.
In 2021, BBC Radio 1 launched a new scholarship for female and non-binary dance music DJs which was named after Nightingale.
Up until recently she still hosted her show Annie Nightingale presents… on BBC Radio 1.
BBC Radio 1 has said it is “extremely saddened” to her the news in a tribute posted to social media.
Alongside a photo of the renowned DJ, the station wrote added: “Our deepest condolences are with Annie’s friends and family at this incredibly difficult time. Rest in peace, Annie.”
Over the years, she rubbed shoulders with music titans including the late David Bowie, who she brought to a pub after watching him open up for another band to praise his talent when she was aged 22.
She also befriended The Beatles and was a guest on occasion at the band’s Apple Studios in London during the 1960s.
During a special show with former BBC Radio 1 host Nick Grimshaw she told him that Sir Paul McCartney once “sort of” proposed to her, adding: “But I don’t think he was serious.”
She documented her pioneering career and the evolution of five decades of pop culture in her 2020 memoir Hey Hi Hello.
In 2019, she was made a CBE for services to radio having previously been made an MBE in 2002.
Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/annie-nightingale-david-bowie-nick-grimshaw-paul-mccartney-nightingale-b1131999.html
