Vernon Kay halted his BBC Radio 2 show to announce the news (Image: ITV)
BBC Radio 2 host Vernon Kay halted his live programme on Tuesday morning to deliver some heartbreaking news. The 51-year-old had just concluded playing a song when he disclosed that Ian Deeley, the station’s studio manager, had died unexpectedly at the age of 45.
Beginning the sorrowful announcement, he said: “As you can imagine at Radio 2, it’s not just the names in the Radio Times who do all the work. We do very little, we just talk when we put up the fader, I’ll be honest with you, myself and every on-air name included.
“It’s the massive team behind Radio 2 that make this network so successful,” he proceeded. “And the BBC family were devastated to hear that our brilliant studio manager, Ian Deeley, had died unexpectedly but peacefully at the age of 45.
“At his heart, Ian was a broadcaster, so whether he was driving the desk, engineering an outside broadcast, producing or presenting, Ian just loved radio with every fibre of his being.
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Ian Deeley has died aged 45 (Image: INSTAGRAM)
“Even though he was a relatively young chap, Ian had a long and illustrious career, during which he pretty much worked on every BBC radio station,” he added.
Reflecting on his extensive career at the station, Vernon continued: “His time at the BBC began with news shifts followed by production work, and more recently, Ian was working with our colleagues on the outside broadcast team, or ‘the Broadside Outcasts’ as he jokingly referred to them.”
He added: “With the OB team, Ian worked on all manner of big radio stuff, including pop festivals, BBC Proms and numerous royal events.
One of Ian’s highlights was working with the late Steve Wright, according to Vernon Kay (Image: PA)
“The one that stands out for us and our little team is the one where Ian personally made sure that our show from the beaches of Normandy a few years ago went seamlessly and it did. Ian was our lead engineer on our D-Day [80th] celebrations and he was so dedicated that he went on a [reconnaissance trip] over to France in his own time, just to make sure everything was up to his incredible high standard.
“Ian loved working with us here at Radio 2 and I know one of his career highlights was working with our friend, Steve Wright, he was thrilled to be able to be a part of the big show and ‘as one of the top operatives’ as Steve called him. Steve always said, ‘Ian, keep it cranked’ and he did.”
Beyond his broadcasting work, Vernon revealed Ian’s other “big love in life” was sailing. “He was passionate about sharing that with others, he was so good in fact, he was voted to lead his local sailing club,” he explained.
“As an engineer, there were few better but there are also so many things we can say about Ian, the person.”
Vernon went on: “He was an exuberant, larger than life character who was always enthusiastic and brought a smile to everyone’s faces,” noting that he and his colleagues will miss the studio manager’s “quick wit”.
“We offer our sincere condolences to his mum Di, his brother Neal and his partner Lucy,” he added.
Following the sad announcement, Vernon went on to thank listeners for their kind tributes.