Northern Irish presenter Gerry Kelly has sadly d!ed at the age of 77 following a short illness, his family have confirmed. The veteran BBC broadcaster was best known for his popular UTV Friday night talk show and his beloved show on BBC Radio Ulster. It is understood that the TV host passed away at his family home, surrounded by his loved ones, on Sunday morning (July 26).
Fans soon flocked to social media to share their heartache at the tragic news, with fellow Northern Irish journalist Anne Hailes leading the way with an emotional post. It read: “Sad news. Gerry Kelly passed away this morning at home with his wife, Helena, and his daughters, Sara and Claire. He had been ill for some time. Big man who will leave big memories, RIP.”
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Meanwhile, Larry Wyse, a volunteer with Athlone Community Radio in Westmeath, also shared a touching tribute to the presetner online. The heartfelt post said: “RIP Gerry Kelly. One of Northern Ireland’s best-known and most beloved broadcasters, the Ballymena native, who has d!ed aged 77, became a household name on both sides of the Irish border thanks to his long-running UTV chat show ‘Kelly’, which ran for 16 years from September 1989 until December 2005.
“Aside from his work in television, Kelly also worked at BBC Radio Ulster, where he presented his own show twice a week on Fridays and Saturdays between 2009 and 2019.” BBC presenter William Crawley also took to social media to share his sympathies online.
He wrote: “I’m sorry to hear that Gerry Kelly has d!ed. He had a rare gift for drawing out a guest with deep curiosity and genuine warmth; he made interviews feel like real conversations. He inspired, encouraged and mentored other broadcasters too. A big star who was always a gentleman.”
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The deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Emma Little-Pengelly, took to social media to remember the broadcaster online. She shared in a statement: “So sorry to hear of the d3ath of Gerry Kelly, a face and a voice that so many generations across Northern Ireland were familiar with.
In 1989, he began hosting his own talk show, titled Kelly (Image: UTV)
“A much-loved presenter with a huge character. He interviewed so many, many hundreds of people across decades, including his famous clip with a young Rory McIlroy and the wash machine! Thinking of all his family and friends at this time of mourning, sending my deepest condolences and may God be with them and comfort them at this time of sad loss.”
The TV presenter was born in Ballymena in Co. Antrim, but moved to Down in his youth. He settled down there, later tying the knot and having two children. Before he moved into the realm of journalism, Kelly started out as a lecturer at St. Mary’s College in Belfast, also spending some time in the Belfast City Council.
His big break in journalism came when he began reporting on the GAA for UTV. It didn’t take long before he flourished as a broadcaster, going on to host Good Evening Ulster on the popular station. In 1989, he began hosting his own talk show, titled simply Kelly, which he held until 2005.
Other notable ventures included Kelly on the Radio on Downtown Radio and Gerry Meets. In 2008, he made the decision to leave the station when he joined BBC Radio Ulster, and in 2024, a new TV talk show, Conversations with Gerry, aired on NVTV. In 2018, the TV star confirmed he had been diagnosed with cancer several years earlier. He had undergone chemotherapy and surgery, with a tumour later successfully removed.
