South African radio icon Jeremy Mansfield died before dawn on Monday, a statement from a close friend and former colleague confirmed.
Jeremy Mansfield dies: What’s the cause of death?
Samantha Cowen made the announcement on Facebook on Monday, revealing the 59-year-old “died peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends and boundless love.”
“Jeremy lived large, he didn’t know how to do small. He loved hard, laughed loud and managed to combine mischief and mayhem with heart and soul. The city was brighter and lighter with him on the airwaves, he changed lives every day. When he wasn’t raising millions for charity, he was raising fresh hell!” Cowen wrote.
Mansfield succumbed to a long-fought battle with stage 4 liver cancer. The veteran radiocaster first went public about his ailing health in January 2022. At the time, Mansfield was diagnosed with liver cancer, his second bout with the disease after overcoming leukaemia.
By August 2022, the cancer had developed to stage 4 but Mansfield kept an upbeat exterior, vowing to spend the time he had left checking off items on his bucket list.
“A lot of people got to see and hear that over the radio but he saved his vulnerability for a select few. He was determined that the world be a better and shinier and funnier place and he drove the road to that destination at 1000 miles an hour with no rear view mirror, all of the rest of us clinging on for dear life!” Cowen added.
Mansfield is survived by his wife Jacqui and daughter Gabriella.
Jeremy Mansfield biography
Robert Jeremy Mansfield was born on 15 August 1963 in Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown), Eastern Cape. He spent most of his early years in his hometown, where he graduated from Kingswood College and obtained a tertiary qualification in Speech, Drama and Journalism at Rhodes University.
His first introduction to radio came in 1985 when he secured a position at the Durban-based radio station, Capital Radio 604. Mansfield spent five years at Capital, before he was head-hunted by SuperSport to join the John Berks show on 702 Talk Radio.
The revered voice of South African airwaves spent 20 years at 702 Talk Radio and the sister station, 94.7 Highveld Stereo. In 2010, he bid farewell to radio and took up an offer to host his weekly finance show, Mansfield’s Moneysense on CNBC Africa.
His return to radio came in 2018 when he hosted the popular breakfast show, Mansfield in the Morning, on Hot 91.9fm. A year before he was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer, Mansfield hosted weekly content on business, gardening law and medicine on his popular YouTube channel.
Reactions to Mansfield’s death
The news of Mansfield’s death has flooded social media. Here are some of the reactions: