Sudden death of Irish radio celebrity

Gerry Ryan, one of Ireland’s most successful broadcasters, died unexpectedly on Friday morning.

Mr Ryan called in sick on Thursday night to say he was ‘feeling drained’ and would not be hosting his 2FM morning show, but told friends not to worry and that he would not be needing a doctor.

His body was discovered in his apartment in Leeson Street Upper in Dublin on Friday afternoon by his partner Melanie Verwoerd, who was alarmed when he was not at work and was not answering his phone.

Mr Ryan was found on the floor of his bedroom beside his bed. There were no visible injuries on his body and no signs of a break-in or any disturbance at the apartment.

His sudden death led to a frenzy of ‘Twitter’ posts by the general public as well as by mainstream journalists. As speculation over his cause of death mounted, there was a backlash against the level of intrusion caused by social networking on the internet and its effects on Mr Ryan’s family.

Ryan was one of the world’s most highly paid radio stars, and was also controversial for his irreverent approach to a number of taboo subjects. He enjoyed an audience of about 300,000 listeners who regularly turned into his intimate conversations with members of the public about their grievances.

“Gerry Ryan’s sudden death has come as a shock,” Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said.

“He was a much loved and respected television and radio presenter and he will be sorely missed.

“My thoughts at this time are with Gerry’s family and friends and I extend my sincerest condolences to them.”

Urgent Appeal