Tony Morris was an ITV broadcaster who reported regional news in the North West. Reports say the 57-year-old died in hospital on Saturday, August 1, after being diagnosed with cancer. The presenter was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2019 and his family were by his side when he died. His daughters, Natalie and Rebecca, were both at the hospital with him at the time.
Tributes have been paid to the ITV Granada reporter, including from his co-presenter Lucy Meacock.
She said: “He was without doubt one of the most humble, kind and funny people I have ever met, and he would often make me laugh till my sides ached.”
“I am so very, very sad and my heart goes out to his daughters Nat and Becky.
“A smile from Tony Morris always brightened everyone’s day and certainly brightened up the whole of the North West for 17 years.”
He joined Granada from the BBC in 2003 and fans fell in love with his warm attitude.
In 2019 he was shortlisted by the Royal Television Society in the Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year category.
His daughters posted on Twitter saying: “We lost our incredible dad on Saturday morning. He was more than a parent, he was also our best friend.
“We are utterly heartbroken, but so grateful for the time we had with him We will be offline with family for a while, but so appreciative of the lovely messages.”
Tony grew up in Portsmouth and he had spent most of his younger years in foster care.
He served in the RAF after he left school and he said it taught him about resilience.
He had grown up on a “tough” housing estate and said his time in the RAF brought him empathy.
His love of music meant he chased his dream as a DJ before joining the BBC as a radio trainee.