Trailblazing DJ Annie Nightingale signed off her final Radio 1 show by sending her listeners 'lots of love from me, to you'.
The broadcasting icon, who became BBC Radio 1's first female DJ when she joined the station in 1970, passed away at home aged 83 after a short illness, her family announced today.
She is survived by two children - Alex and Lucy - who she shared with her first husband Gordon Thomas. She was later married to actor Tony 'Binky' Baker but the couple later divorced.
Wrapping up a glittering career spanning more than 50 years, Nightingale appropriately told her listeners on December 19: 'Wishing you a brilliant Christmas from us all on the Annie Nightingale show. And lots of love from me, to you.'
Her final words on Radio 1 came at the end of her three-part 'best of 2023' show, where she played tracks by Dillon Francis, Dimitri Vegas, Daft Punk, Sam Smith and Bad Bunny.
After her death was announced today, female DJs and presenters were quick to pay tribute, with Zoe Ball hailing her as the 'original trailblazer for women'.
Legendary Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale has died at home aged 83, her family announced today
After her death was announced today, female DJs and presenters were quick to pay tribute, with Zoe Ball hailing her as the 'original trailblazer for women'. Pictured: Annie Nightingale in the 1960s
Ball, who hosts BBC Radio 2's breakfast show and previously helmed the show on Radio 1, said she was 'heartbroken' to hear the news.
She added: 'She loved music like no other... and could out last any of us at the party. So grateful for all the love & support she offered me over the years. What a dame... rest well.'
Annie Mac, who hosted a variety of Radio 1 shows before leaving in 2021 after 17 years, described Nightingale as a 'trailblazer, spirited, adventurous, fearless, hilarious, smart, and so good at her job'.
Alongside a black-and-white photo of a young Nightingale, she wrote: 'This is the woman who changed the face and sound of British TV and Radio broadcasting forever. You can't underestimate it.
'Before Annie Nightingale came on Radio 1, it was legitimately believed by BBC bosses that people didn't want to hear women's voices on the radio.
'Radio DJs were seen as husband substitutes for the wives who listened at home. God forbid British women might want to listen to other women.'
The Dublin-born DJ, who real name is Annie Macmanus, said Nightingale 'smashed through all the sexist stereotypes of what ...
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