The writer and broadcaster Henry Kelly, best known for presenting Going For Gold and Game For A Laugh, has died at the age of 78.
Kelly, who was born in Dublin, died "peacefully" on Tuesday "after a period of ill health", his family said.
"Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry's daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie,” the family said.
The Irish PM Micheal Martin praised Kelly for making a "huge contribution to journalism and broadcasting" within Ireland and the UK.
After graduating from University College Dublin in 1968, Kelly began his career as a journalist at the Irish Times and covered The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He became Belfast-based northern editor within two years.
Kelly left the publication in 1976 for the BBC to become a reporter on Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme.
He later pursued a career in light entertainment having been inspired by his family friend and BBC host Terry Wogan. He later became known for presenting shows including Game For a Laugh and Going for Gold.
The presenter fronted Going for Gold for 10 seasons until the mid-1990s, which saw people from different countries competing to win cash prizes.
Going for Gold was later revived by Channel 5 but featured only contestants from the UK and Ireland, with John Suchet as host.
He alsoworked for TV-AM in 1981 and became the Saturday presenter of Good Morning Britain alongside Toni Arthur.
Kelly briefly returned to journalism in 1988 to chair the Channel 4 discussion programme After Dark. He also regularly appeared on Sky News’ Sunday newspapers review in the 2000s.
After a successful television career, where he also appeared in the comedy show Dinnerladies, Kelly became one of the Classic FM launch radio presenters in 1992, hosting the station’s breakfast programme until 2003.
Kelly won a Sony Radio Award after two years on the channel where he was voted national broadcaster of the year.
After leaving Classic FM, Kelly hosted the Drivetime slot on LBC and later presented a Saturday mid-morning show on BBC Radio Berkshire between 2005 and 2015.
Kelly is survived by his wife, fellow journalist Karolyn Shindler, and his two children Alexander and Siobhan.
