TRIBUTES FLOW FOR BEIRUT RADIO HOST GAVIN FORD AFTER HIS MURDER AT HOME
▶ Friends tell of 53-year-old Briton who came to Lebanon 22 years ago after he landed ‘his dream job’
The murder of British radio host Gavin Ford sparked widespread expressions of sadness this week.
Close friends said they had just celebrated his 53rd birthday and were looking forward to spending the festive season with him.
“It was super hard. I have yet to come to terms with the fact that he is gone,” said Bechara Al Hajj, who knew Ford for more than six years and was planning to meet the presenter over Christmas.
“If he died of natural causes the news would have been more bearable. But someone intentionally ended his life in this way. This is not acceptable.”
Lebanese police have yet to disclose details of the murder, which is believed to have taken place late on Monday evening.
Radio One broke the news on Tuesday on Facebook after colleagues reported him missing to police when he did not show up for work. Ford turned 53 on Monday.
Local media reported that Ford, who had lived in Lebanon for two decades, was strangled in his apartment in Beit Merry near the capital Beirut.
He was handcuffed and beaten with a sharp object.
A spokesman for Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces was not available for comment.
Rumours were rife concerning possible motives for the murder, but colleagues and close friends of Ford dismissed them as speculation and urged people to wait for the results of the investigation.
Ford started working for local radio station Radio One in 1996. In a profile in Lebanon Traveller last year, he said that he used to work in Cyprus before moving to Beirut.
“Radio One could actually be heard from there and I was fascinated by this station, in an exciting-sounding country called Lebanon, playing all the newest songs long before we could get them,” he said.
Ford had studied at the National Broadcasting School in the UK.
“He found his dream job in Lebanon. He used to listen to Radio One all the way from Cyprus,” Mr Al Hajj said. “He was super happy to come to Lebanon and create his show.”
Friend and colleague Dan Harper remembered him as a “gentle and kind friend”, and a “wonderful professional”.
“He was very thorough in preparing his programme. He was sure to have the latest showbiz news and to sound different every day,” Mr Harper told The National.
He said he would be organising a tribute to Ford to be broadcast simultaneously on six radios stations across the country, including Radio One.
Others remember him as a hot-headed, charismatic character.
“Gavin loved to eat, so whenever we went to a restaurant he was also really picky with his food,” Lebanese singer and friend Xriss Jor said.
“We loved watching him lose his cool over bad service, it was very funny.
“He was very social and loved having his friends over at his house for movie nights.”
Ford was a popular figure on social media, often posting pictures of himself, friends and his dog Fred on Instagram.
In the last picture, posted three days ago, he was enjoying a bubble bath.
“The perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday,” he wrote.
The UK ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, wrote on Twitter that he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Gavin Ford, one of Lebanon’s most popular morning breakfast hosts”.
“The thoughts of all at the embassy are with his family, friends and colleagues at this terribly difficult time,” Mr Rampling said.
Many fans expressed anger online as a picture purportedly of his body was shared on social media.
“Shame on the lack of morals and empathy in our country. No respect for a dead man,” Elis tweeted
It is unclear if the image was taken by the police.
Ford had become a fixture for many young Lebanese who grew up listening to his voice as they went to school or university. “Being in Beirut, you spend a lot of time in the car and listening to Gavin became my morning ritual”, NRJ radio host Sarah Gharzeddine, 28, told The National.
“There are many English hosts in Lebanon but Gavin stood out. He was more Lebanese than I am. He loved living in this country.”
News reporter Jessy Khalil tweeted: “It hurts to see how human life is nothing for some. Gavin has been entertaining us for years, I grew up listening to this guy.”
There are many English hosts in Lebanon, but Gavin stood out. He was more Lebanese than I am JESSY KHALIL News reporter