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Terry Wogan has died


Terry Wogan has died.

The 77-year-old broadcaster has passed away after a short battle with cancer, his family confirmed on Sunday (31.01.16).

They said in a statement: "Sir Terry Wogan died today after a short but brave battle with cancer.

"He passed away surrounded by his family. While we understand he will be missed by many, the family ask that their privacy is respected at this time."

BBC director general Tony Hall added: "Terry truly was a national treasure. Today we’ve lost a wonderful friend."

Terry was born in Limerick, Ireland and made his name on the national broadcaster RTE, first in radio and later as a TV presenter.

In 1966 he was approached by the BBC where he has worked ever since, presenting show including BBC One chat show ‘Wogan’, ‘Children in Need’, and ‘Wake Up to Wogan’.

Last year he pulled out of hosting Children In Need for "health reasons".

It was the first time since the charity extravaganza launched in 1980 that he was not involved but he insisted he would be "watching, cheering and donating".

He said in a statement: "So here we are on the 36th edition of Children in Need, every one of which I’ve been proud to present since it started in 1980, and for the first time I won’t be there to cheer you on with word and gesture to another record-breaking year.

"The British public, as always, will dig deep in their pockets and purses to help the country’s disadvantaged children, knowing that every penny will go to those who need it most."

A BBC spokesman added: "We are so sorry that Terry won’t be with us tomorrow night as we know how passionate he is about Children in Need.

"But we wish him a very speedy recovery and know he’ll be watching from home and enjoying the show."

Terry was granted an honorary knighthood as an Irish citizen in 2005.