TV presenter Magenta Devine has died after a short illness at the age of 61.
Her family confirmed that she had been receiving treatment at a central London hospital.
In a statement, her family hailed her as “a talented writer and stylish on-screen presence who was greatly admired by her many friends and colleagues for her creativity and wit.”
The presenter, real name Kim Taylor, was best known as the host of Channel 4’s Network 7 and BBC Two’s Rough Guides to the World.
Sankha Guha, who worked with Devine on the Rough Guides series, said the death of his "partner in adventure" came as a "body blow."
"She used her public persona to tell stories about the world that mattered to her and inspired a whole generation to travel with a sense of adventure and an open mind," he told the BBC.
"I knew she was ill, but her death is a body blow. I have lost a soul mate and a partner in adventure."
He went on to describe her as "an icon for a generation [...] who invited attention and sometimes hostility for her bold look and style."
Born in Hemel Hempstead in 1957, Devine started her career as a music publicist.
Her big break in the television industry came when producer Janet Street-Porter booked her as a presenter for Channel 4's youth-focused show Network 7.
She then headed to BBC Two for Street-Porter's programming strand DEF II, which was also aimed at teenagers, where the Rough Guide series started off as a feature segment before becoming a separate programme.
The Loose Women panellist paid tribute to her former colleague in a tweet, which read: "Magenta De Vine was a brilliant presenter, a one-off who always made everything we did together utterly memorable."
The presenter was appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador in 1998, a role which saw her head up a campaign for gender equality and reproductive rights.
Devine is survived by father Gerald Taylor, sisters Gillian and Georgina and brother Nicholas.
