BBC newsreader George Alagiah dies at 67

LONDON: George Alagiah, the BBC newsreader recognisable to millions worldwide who reported on many of the most important global events in recent decades, died on Monday aged 67, his agent said.

“I am so terribly sorry to inform you that George Alagiah died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones,” Mary Greenham said in a statement.

He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2014, and the disease returned in 2018. “George fought until the bitter end but sadly that battle ended earlier today,” said Greenham.

“George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. He simply was a wonderful human being.” Alagiah was born in Colombo in 1955, moved to Ghana in 1961 and then to the UK for his secondary education.

He was the face of BBC One´s “News At Six” but was also recognisable to a global audience having been the main presenter on BBC World News from its launch in 2010 until 2014.

Before becoming a presenter, he was one of the BBC´s leading foreign correspondents and reported on the Rwandan genocide along with civil wars in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia.Alagiah joined the BBC in 1989.

There, he spent many years as one of the broadcaster’s leading foreign correspondents before taking on presenting duties.

He first began hosting BBC News at Six in early 2003 alongside co-host Natasha Kaplinsky. After Kalpinsky’s departure from the programme in 2007, Alagiah fronted the news bulletin solo.

Throughout his illustrious career, Alagiah interviewed a number of high-profile figures, including former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmon Tutu, and former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 new year honours.