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David Jacobs dies
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 3 September 2013
Tributes galore were made yesterday after it was confirmed veteran radio DJ David Jacobs had died aged 87.
As previously reported, Jacobs, the original host of classic music TV programme ‘Jukebox Jury’ in the 1960s and an original ‘Top Of The Pops’ presenter, stepped down from his weekly Radio 2 show ‘The David Jacobs Collection’ last month because of ill-health. He’d hosted the show for the BBC station since 1998, and it was hoped Jacobs might be able to reappear on an occasional basis to present one-off specials.
A spokesman confirmed that the presenter, who had been treated for liver cancer and Parkinson’s disease in recent years, died at home surrounded by family members. Paying tribute, BBC boss Tony Hall said Jacobs had been “one of the great broadcast personalities”, adding: “As a young and avid viewer of ‘Jukebox Jury’, I remember him every week scoring the hits and misses. And I was still listening to him just last month as he fronted his show ‘The David Jacobs Collection’ on Radio 2”.
Jacobs’ most recent boss at the BBC, Radio 2 Controller Bob Shennan, added: “David was a legend in broadcasting, not only for the Radio 2 audience, but for the whole population. He was a true giant of the BBC, whose career spanned seven decades on radio and television. His broadcast hallmarks were great taste, authority and warmth. I am sure his audience will feel they have lost a friend, as we all do here at Radio 2”.