# Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley pays tribute to ‘lovely dad’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/radio-2-dj-jo-whiley-pays-tribute-to-lovely-dad/
- Published: 2026-07-22T12:59:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-22T15:49:07+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Entertainment (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7nr7p323vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment

## Key points

- Jo Whiley's father Martin Whiley has died
- He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
- She praised his selflessness and lifelong love of music

## Summary

BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley has paid tribute to her father, Martin Whiley, following his death, announcing the news in an Instagram post. The 61-year-old broadcaster, who is from Northampton, had previously revealed on her podcast that her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and she described him in her tribute as "the kindest man, who lived solely to make others happy".

Whiley credited her father with inspiring her love of music, recalling how he carried a large "ghetto blaster" around the building sites where he worked, and praised his enduring passion for artists such as Elbow, Coldplay and Dido. She also spoke of his difficult childhood, saying he was left without parents from a young age and spent two years alone in a London sanatorium after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, which she said shaped his lifelong dedication to caring for others, including her four children, India, Jude, Cass and Coco.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.