Pioneering radio DJ and TV presenter Annie Nightingale has died aged 83 after a short illness.
New music champion Annie Nightingale joined Radio 1 in 1970 and was the only female presenter for over a decade.
She became the station’s longest serving broadcaster and held the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a female radio presenter.
Nightingale passionately championed an eclectic array of music throughout her 60+ year career including progressive rock and punk.
Alongside her distinguished radio career, she was also a TV presenter and well-known for presenting The Old Grey Whistle Test for eleven years.
Nightingale introduced live performances from hundreds of eminent rock acts on The Old Grey Whistle Test including The Ramones, Iggy Pop, U2, The Rolling Stones, Ian Dury And The Blockheads, Public Image Ltd, The Clash, Robert Fripp, The Damned and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and she also interviewed many of the artists who appeared on the show.
In 1985, she was the BBC’s reporter for the Philadelphia edition of Live Aid and she introduced coverage of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Neil Young, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mick Jagger and more.
“Annie Nightingale MBE passed away yesterday at her home in London after a short illness,” her family announced in a statement.
“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.
“Never underestimate the role model she became. Breaking down doors by refusing to bow down to sexual prejudice and male fear gave encouragement to generations of young women who, like Annie, only wanted to tell you about an amazing tune they had just heard.
“Watching Annie do this on television in the 1970s, most famously as a presenter on the BBC music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, or hearing her play the latest breakbeat techno on Radio One is testimony to someone who never stopped believing in the magic of rock ‘n’ roll.”
In 2019 she was made a CBE for services to radio having previously been made an MBE in 2002.
source: PlanetRockRadio
