Tony Young a national treasure

THE EDITOR, Sir:

ONCE AGAIN, Jamaica has lost a radio broadcast icon with the passing of Tony ‘TY’ Young.

Back in the 1980s, while he hosted ‘The Tony Young Show’ on JBC radio, I won a radio call-in prize. On the day I went to JBC, then located at South Odeon Avenue, to collect my prize, I was led into the studio to meet Tony and to receive my prize. He immediately put me at ease with his warm smile and easy-going, calm, disarming, friendly, and humorous personality.

From that point on, whenever I heard his voice on the radio, whether I was driving or at home, I would immediately leave it on that station and listen to him.

Upon reading the news of TY’s untimely death, along with his brother-in-law’s poignant account of their last meeting together, and of the illness he had been battling for some time, I was left in shock. The Saturday prior, I had listened to a portion of Tony’s afternoon programme on KLAS and, as usual, was the better for having done so.

Jamaica has lost a national treasure with the passing of Tony Young. May his soul rest in peace.