On March 12th last, I read the midday bulletin on Today fm as normal. I came out of the studio and made my way back to my desk to continue working on the National Lunchtime News.
But before I got to the newsroom I was stopped by Today fm’s News Editor Sinead Spain.
She didn’t have to say anything. I knew from her face. Tony Fenton had died.
I had only taken up my position as news anchor with Today fm the previous week. I didn’t know Tony personally. I couldn’t call him a friend, or even a work colleague. But I knew The DJ, The Jock, The Dude. I’d listened to that velvety voice for years and I knew everyone thought he was a true gent.
What happened over the next few hours in Today fm was incredible. At first, the building went silent. People stood around Tony’s desk on the 4th floor of Marconi House. Everyone knew Tony had been sick but the fact that he had passed away was too shocking for people to comprehend. They were raw. And devastated.
No one loved Tony like his listeners did. We decided we would break the news of his death in the National Lunchtime News. We asked his best friends Ian Dempsey and Mario Rosenstock to take part, along with Today fm’s CEO at the time Peter McPartlin.
They were so incredibly generous with their memories. They described a truly treasured work colleague who had endless positivity, someone who believed in genuine friendship, the life and soul of any party.
They revealed how Tony had dealt with his illness with such dignity and how he had shared it by reaching out to others going through a similar struggle.
Tony was brave and full of mischief. He adored music. And people adored him.
When I left work that day I came across a bunch of sunflowers someone had tied to the front of the building. It had the simple message ‘Sleep well King Tony’. Can’t say fairer than that.
You can listen back to the full National Lunchtime News from March 12th 2015 here.
