Northern Irish broadcaster Gerry Kelly dies at 77
Gerry Kelly, the best‑known television and radio presenter in Northern Ireland, died at his home in Coney Island, County Down on 26 July 2026, aged 77. He was born in Ballymena in 1948 and began his broadcasting career as a part‑time GAA reporter for UTV before rising to national prominence.
Kelly hosted UTV’s flagship chat show Kelly from 1989 to 2005, delivering 571 episodes and interviewing hundreds of stars, including a nine‑year‑old Rory McIlroy and football legend George Best. After the programme ended, he joined BBC Radio Ulster in 2009, presenting a weekend slot until the end of 2019.
He was awarded a Sony Gold Award in 1993 for his coverage of the Shankill Road bombing and was inducted into the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2018 he disclosed a cancer diagnosis made in 2016. In 2024 he returned to TV with the ten‑part series Conversations with Gerry Kelly on Belfast’s NVTV.
Tributes poured in from politicians, colleagues and the public, who remembered him as a “much‑loved” presenter with a “huge character.”
Entities: BBC Radio Ulster · Emma Little‑Pengelly · Gerry Kelly · NVTV · Northern Ireland · Rory McIlroy · UTV
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] He hosted the UTV talk show 'Kelly' from 1989 to 2005, producing 571 episodes. (article)
- [● 3 SOURCES] He was a broadcaster in Northern Ireland for over four decades. (article)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] He was inducted into the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame in 1998. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] He returned to television in 2024 with the NVTV series 'Conversations with Gerry Kelly'. (article)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] He received a Sony Gold Award in 1993 for his coverage of the Shankill Road bombing. (article)
- [● 3 SOURCES] He joined BBC Radio Ulster in 2009 and presented weekend programmes until 2019. (article)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Gerry Kelly died at age 77 at his home in Coney Island, County Down. (article)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The show featured a nine‑year‑old Rory McIlroy and a high‑rated interview with George Best. (article)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Kelly hosted the UTV chat show 'Kelly' from 1989 to 2005, producing 571 episodes.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Kelly disclosed a cancer diagnosis made in 2016, which he revealed publicly in 2018.
- [● 8 SOURCES] Gerry Kelly died at age 77 at his home in Coney Island, County Down on 26 July 2026. (multiple sources)
- [● 7 SOURCES] He presented weekend programmes on BBC Radio Ulster from 2009 until the end of 2019.