Newspaper columnist and broadcaster Rod Liddle has died aged 66 after a short illness, his family announced. Liddle was a prominent and often provocative voice in British journalism, writing columns for the Sun, the Sunday Times and the Spectator, as well as presenting a show on Times Radio and formerly editing BBC Radio 4's Today programme, meaning his death marks the loss of a widely read and distinctive figure across print and broadcast media.

He died at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening. His children, Wilder, Tyler and Emmy, said they were "saddened and shocked" and praised him for holding the room even in his final weeks in hospital. Tributes came from across the industry, including News UK chief executive Rebekah Brooks, former Today presenter John Humphrys, and senior editors at the Sun, Sunday Times and Times Radio, who described him as brilliant, fearless and uniquely unpredictable.