South African broadcaster and radio legend Jeremy Mansfield has passed away to be with the Lord after a long battle with stage four liver cancer. Mansfield’s close buddy Sam Cowen confirmed his death on Monday morning.
“This morning a light went out in the world. Jeremy Mansfield passed away just before dawn. He 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!”
“Under a naughty exterior Jeremy had a huge soft heart. 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! We will miss him horribly. The family is devastated and is asking for privacy during this time,” wrote Cowen on Facebook.
Mansfield’s former boss and colleague Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM paid tribute to the radio legend.
“Jeremy really did change the South African radio landscape and was the benchmark for so many other radio presenters who came after him,” said Madurai.
“I saw that first-hand when we worked together at 94.7 Highveld Stereo (now 947), with Jeremy pushing the boundaries every day and becoming South Africa’s first-ever ‘shock jock’, with the talent to go with it.”
“He leaves an enormous void in the industry,” says Madurai. “But, we are comforted by the incredible impact Jeremy had on South African radio, shaking up the establishment and leaving his mark in the most entertaining and heart-warming way. The Hot family says, ‘Go well, our friend, and know that you made a difference.’”
