Some performers dream of dying doing what they love. Well, one longtime British radio talk show host did just that while live on the air. Fifty-five-year-old Tim Gough died early on Monday morning while his show, “Tim Gough at Breakfast,” was airing live. The talk show host for GenX Radio suffered a surprise heart attack during his program and keeled over and bit the dust while he was in the middle of presenting his daily segment to his loyal audience.
Fortunately, Gough was presenting his show from his home in Suffolk, UK, which is a country east of England, where he was born. Now, people are reeling from the surprise death of the popular radio talk show personality.
GenX Radio reported that its staff members are “shocked and devastated beyond words” that they have lost 55-year-old Gough during his show. Fellow staffers recalled that Gough was “a hugely experienced and highly talented broadcaster with an army of fans for his daily show.”
In praise of the radio talk show host, James Hazell, who works for GenX Radio as a managing director and who had experienced Gough’s ups and downs throughout his career, was particularly pained by the talk show host’s sudden death.
“Tim has been on the radio since the 80s and had come out of radio retirement to fully involve himself in our project from the beginning, to bring local commercial radio back to his beloved Suffolk, and was hugely excited for our DAB launch at the end of the month,” Hazell said in a statement.
Hazell had been touched throughout his time with Gough and remembered the radio talk show personality very fondly. Losing Gough has been a major loss for GenX Radio, which relied on Gough for his morning show on a regular basis, as did his many fans.
“To know Tim personally, as I did very closely for over 30 years, was to know a warm, caring, fun guy who myself and my family loved dearly. We are heartbroken by the news,” Hazell’s statement continued. “I know his family is enormously comforted by the hundreds of loving messages that have been received and have asked for privacy at this devastating time.”
GenX Radio shared a tribute to Gough on Monday, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to inform you our dear friend and breakfast host Tim Gough passed away this morning whilst presenting his program. Our love to his family, son, sister, brother, and mum. Tim was doing what he loved. He was 55 years old.RIB buddy.”
Gough’s radio career began more than three decades ago. According to his bio posted on the GenX Radio website, he worked on several local radio shows at various stations across the United Kingdom, including Radio Orwell, Saxon Radio, and SGR-FM. He also made an appearance on Smooth Radio station. Gough had returned from retirement to host the GenX Radio Suffolk show Tim Gough at Breakfast.