{"id":791095,"date":"2026-07-10T09:47:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791095\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:47:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:47:35","slug":"derryn-hinch-broadcaster-once-known-as-the-human-headline-dies-aged-82-derryn-hinch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791095\/","title":{"rendered":"Derryn Hinch, broadcaster once known as \u2018the human headline\u2019, dies aged 82 | Derryn Hinch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Derryn Hinch, the former journalist and senator, has died aged 82.<\/p>\n

Hinch had reportedly been in poor health since a recent fall and friends said he died in his sleep, as was his wish.<\/p>\n

As a young reporter he provided live commentary of the Apollo 11 launch for Sydney radio station 2GB in 1969. In the 1980s he was one of the most powerful broadcasters in Australia. His legendary candid style kept him in the public eye over several decades.<\/p>\n

He was a newspaper reporter before moving into television and radio, perhaps most prominently as a presenter on Melbourne radio station 3AW, which on Friday reported that Hinch died at home overnight.<\/p>\n

Hinch was the face of Nine\u2019s Midday show for 13 years, and hosted multiple current affairs programs, including the eponymous Hinch from 1988 to 1994.<\/p>\n

Outside his media career, Hinch served as a senator for Victoria<\/a> in his Justice party between 2016 and 2019.<\/p>\n

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The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Hinch \u201clived a life rich in colour and free from fear\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an interviewer, investigator and presenter he was much more than \u2018the Human Headline\u2019 he had a sense of the deeper story and the courage to cover it, come what may,\u201d Albanese said on social media. \u201cHe held to those same instincts as a Senator and he fought illness with that same bravery. My sincere condolences to his family and his many friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The communications minister, Anika Wells, said Hinch would be remembered fondly as \u201can icon of the media\u201d by all those for whom he fought and advocated.<\/p>\n

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said Hinch \u201clived a life made for the front page\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing about Derryn was that you never had to wonder what he thought. He told you straight,\u201d Allan said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never shied from a fight and sometimes seemed to relish one. But his convictions were always real\u2026 He leaves behind real change for victims and survivors who for too long went unheard.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, 3AW described him as \u201ca titan of Australian broadcasting and a figure inextricably linked to the heartbeat of Melbourne radio\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis impact was recognised widely within the industry, culminating in his 2010 induction into the Australian Commercial Radio<\/a> Hall of Fame,\u201d the station said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cListeners, even those who did not always agree with his stance, held a deep respect for his unwavering dedication and the palpable passion he brought to every issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we reflect on his life, Derryn Hinch\u2019s time at 3AW serves as a testament to the power of talkback radio to provoke, engage, and connect a city. He leaves behind a legacy of uncompromising, compelling broadcasting that fundamentally shaped the station he called home for so many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Hinch\u2019s friends, the 3AW host Darren James, told the network on Friday that he was \u201cyet to process\u201d the death.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe messages me every morning \u2026 I didn\u2019t get the messages this morning,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n

Hinch was also well-known for campaigning against paedophiles, and was repeatedly found in contempt for breaching court orders.<\/p>\n

The former broadcaster and author Mike Carlton said Hinch was a good man. \u201cA bit mad at times, but he cared and wanted to make things better. I liked him a lot, and I\u2019m very sorry to see him go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The federal leader of the opposition, Angus Taylor, said Hinch was a man who \u201cstood by his opinions with conviction and was never afraid to court controversy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn politics, he will be particularly remembered for his fight to improve the criminal justice system, including harsher penalties for those guilty of violent and sexual crimes, and better support for victims,\u201d Taylor said on social media.<\/p>\n

Inducting Hinch into the Media Hall of Fame in 2018, the veteran broadcaster Ray Martin said: \u201cFor six decades, Derryn Hinch has been a colourful, megaphone-campaigning, groundbreaking journalist\u201d. He was, Martin said, a \u201clegend of Australian journalism\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Derryn Hinch, the former journalist and senator, has died aged 82. Hinch had reportedly been in poor health…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-791095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}