‘The nicest guy you could meet’ Radio’s Gavin Ford remembered
FRIENDS and family of tragic Gloucestershire DJ Gavin Ford have gathered in Lebanon for his funeral.
The former Cheltenham resident was killed in his apartment close to the capital Beirut on November 27.
Two men, aged 27 and 23, have admitted murder, according to a statement from the Lebanese Internal Security Forces.
On Sunday, Mr Ford’s loved ones attended a ceremony at Beit Mery’s Mar Sassine Church to pay tribute to him, the Daily Star in Lebanon reported.
Following a service, the funeral procession proceeded to a vault where his coffin was interred.
It was not clear whether the victim’s body would be brought back to the UK, the paper said.
On Thursday, the Internal Security Forces arrested the suspects after a post-mortem revealed Mr Ford died from strangulation and facial injuries.
“The [suspects] suffocated him and hit him with a sharp device until he lost consciousness. They then left using [Ford’s] car,” the ISF statement said.
I haven’t seen Gavin for years, but have such happy memories of a bright, witty, character Cornelius Lysaght
At the time of his death, Mr Ford’s brother-in-law Nick Beardsley, 55, who runs the Old Fleece Pub near Stroud, spoke fondly about his relative.
He described him as the ‘nicest guy you could ever meet.’
“He did the breakfast show for over a decade so he’s massive over there,” he told The Sun.
“If you’ve seen anything on social media you’ll realise how popular he was.”
His employer Radio One issued a statement after being informed of the upsetting news.
It read: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague Gavin Ford.
“The management and team express our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. May his soul rest in peace.”
BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght also shared his memories of his friend on social media.
“I haven’t seen Gavin for many years, but have such clear & happy memories of a bright, witty, very colourful character when we both lived in Cheltenham in the 1980s; awful, awful story,” he tweeted.
Mr Ford worked at Radio One since 1996 and the hosted a popular show called ‘Gavin Ford in the Morning.’
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