BBC Breakfast's Jon Kay shares 'sad news' following death of 'extraordinary' guest
Jon Kay has been met with a wave of support after announcing the death of a guest who featured on BBC Breakfast in 2021.
The news presenter shared a series of touching photos with Dave Smith, who sadly passed away at the age of 76.
In one image, Jon is seen donning a face mask as he snaps a selfie with Dave and posted an extensive tribute in his honour.
He penned, "Some sad news to share...Miracle man" Dave Smith has passed away at the age of 76.
"The Bristol driving instructor and pub-singer made global headlines in 2021 after he revealed to me on BBC Breakfast that he'd had Covid for about 300 days in a row - longer than anyone else on the planet at the time.", reports the Mirror.
"Back then, his doctors told us that the reason Dave had struggled to get rid of the virus was because years of cancer treatment had seriously compromised his immune system.
"But Dave confounded medical expectations and eventually beat Covid after ten long months in and out of intensive care. [...] For decades, Dave had performed in pubs and clubs around Bristol. And even though his lungs had been ravaged by Covid, he was determined to sing again.
"We followed him as he joined the English National Opera's online programme to help Long Covid sufferers improve their breathing. The transformation was remarkable.. [...] He said that comeback gig was his "best night ever". And it was one of my favourite ever stories to cover."
Jon remarked: "Over the last year, Dave's health deteriorated. He told me the COVID and cancer had taken their toll. But whenever we spoke, he always retained his zest for life, his dark sense of humour, his love of performing and a total devotion to his delightful wife Lyn and their families. I am thinking of them all."
He concluded by saying: "Dave died peacefully at home earlier this month. His funeral was last week. RIP Dave Smith. An ordinary name. An extraordinary chap. An honour to have known you."
After sharing this poignant news, Jon's followers were quick to show their support, with one commenting: "God bless Dave. This is very sad news. I'm sending lots of love to all his family and friends, thinking of them all at this sad time. Xx."
Another follower extended their sympathies, remarking: "Awww, you did a lovely story on him at the time. May his soul rest in peace. Seemed a lovely man."
A third commenter echoed these emotions, saying: "So sad but what a great man and family. It means the stars will sound more tuneful from now on with the sound of Dave xxxx."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday Post
5 hours ago
- Sunday Post
Amy Macdonald is positively on track with long-awaited album
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up When it comes to music, Amy Macdonald is happy-go-lucky. When I ask whether she deliberately set out to make her new album, Is This What You've Been Waiting For?, bold, punchy and – increasingly rarely of late – hopeful, she shakes her head. 'No, not at all, that's just my default setting,' she says. 'That's the type of stuff I want to listen to. When I listen to music, I want to dance and sing at the top of my voice, so that's what I naturally gravitate towards when writing my own songs and making my own music. I always want a big chorus.' The album is high octane from start to finish, with every tune dialled up and ready to be sung at full blast in the car. The four-on-the-floor beat that opens the first track almost had me thinking Amy had ditched her guitar for a full-blown dance record. For most music lovers, hitting play on an upbeat track is an emotional release – especially with big, bolshy anthems like Amy's. So, when she's writing, does she ever think about helping listeners break out of an emotional bind? 'I think that thought is there in my subconscious,' she says. 'I know there's times when I'm feeling a bit rough, all I want to do is put on happy tunes and forget about all the noise and everything that is going on. You want the music to be a good escape for people and to help them forget all the stressful c*** going on in their lives.' Is This What You've Been Waiting For? is Amy's sixth studio album, and her first since 2021. The last time she was on the promotional trail, Covid was at its zenith. 'It was quite stressful putting my last album out during Covid,' she explains. 'With this album, I wanted to go back to just enjoying it and wanting to do what I was doing, rather than feeling like I needed to. 'I'm not the most prolific writer. I'm not constantly jotting things down. And, after my last record, I purposely took a bit of time away, so it didn't feel stressful. I took more time off than I normally would. After a while, I started to write songs on my own. Then I started doing a couple of trips down to London with my bandmates, and that's how the album came together.' © Olivia Rose While every song on the new album is a toe-tapper, there is pathos running through the record's 10 tracks too. On the defiant I'm Done, Amy turns her back on a toxic relationship. On It's All So Long Ago, she looks back to the beginning of her career, when she was touring small bars across Scotland at only 17 years old. 'I'm definitely a nostalgic person,' says Amy. 'I'm always daydreaming and thinking of everything that happened. I actually wrote It's All So Long Ago with my drummer, because he was the first other musician who I ever performed with. 'We were reminiscing about how we'd known each other for over 20 years, and we couldn't quite believe it. 'We were laughing about all of the funny things that had happened, all the places we'd been, and we both thought it would be a good song. That's how it was born.' Despite the success she has enjoyed over her 18-year-long career, it's sometimes hard for Amy to believe. After selling out Glasgow's Ovo Hydro, she took to Instagram to tearfully thank her fans for the support. 'I just sometimes feel I don't know what I'm doing, and there can't possibly be anybody who wants to come to these shows,' Amy admits. 'For me, doing a show that size after all that time is crazy. I've sold it out before and had to be talked into it, and the same again this time. When it sold out, I was completely taken aback. 'We've added on an extra show, which I initially said no to. I thought it would be too risky. But my management and band all said: 'Let's do it, it'll be great!' 'Even now, I'm still nervous about doing these shows. I think it's because it's a hometown show, it's special and you want it to be perfect. 'When I do gigs in Scotland, I'm way more nervous than I am anywhere else. You want to make people proud – it was these people who first gave me a leg up and allowed me to have this crazy career. 'I'm very patriotic and always have been. We have so many amazing artists here and we don't shout about it enough. It's really special to have that support at home, it means more than anything else.' © Olivia Rose It's not just the music that fans love, but Amy's social media output too. During Covid, she developed an online following for the funny, warm-hearted videos she shared online. 'I still get really embarrassed talking to the camera,' she laughs. 'I need to make sure there's absolutely nobody else about when I'm filming them! 'During Covid I got really lovely feedback from people, so I did more of it. Even now, I think: 'I'm just filming c*** here,' but people respond and say: 'I really love your videos.' I do day-in-the-life videos, and my best friend messaged me to say she really looked forward to them! 'People seem to like them. Maybe because a lot of stuff on social media is so polished, whereas I'm not polished at all. Maybe it's refreshing to see someone who doesn't have crazy skills that are elsewhere on the internet!' Despite her wins on stage and on social media, true success for Amy is somewhere closer to home. 'I think to me, success is just being happy and having your own time and space to do what you like,' she says. 'I think in the modern world, we've romanticised this notion that we should be busy and working 24/7. You see people online saying: 'Oh, my schedule is so busy today,' as if it's a good thing. 'I think the older I've got, the more I've realised that success is being able to spend time with your family and your friends and not be stressed. I feel very content right now. You can be constantly striving and thinking: 'I need to have a No. 1, I need to be selling out stadiums, I need to do that to be successful,' and I don't think that's true. I think there are way more things that equal success rather than being at the top of your game all the time.' © Shutterstock For now, Amy is excited for fans to finally hear her new music. 'After all this time, that I can still come up with songs that mean something to me, I have an emotional connection with and I can play for fans… that's really special. 'When I listen to the album, I'm really proud of it. It's a good collection of little short stories. I'm very, very happy with how it sounds. I'm just looking forward to people hearing it now!' I ask Amy if her friends and family got an audio sneak-peek before it dropped on Friday. 'I like to keep it under wraps,' she explains. 'When you play new songs for people, they don't always get the etiquette! They talk over it! They might be complimenting the song, but they are still talking over it. So I tend not to play them for people because I know it will annoy me! 'My mum, dad and husband get to hear everything though – it's been years for them, so they get it. They're always supportive, but they love it. 'My mum is a hard nut to crack and is always very honest, but she's been very complimentary this time round!' Size does matter for gigs Amy Macdonald has played in front of every possible crowd, from massive festival audiences to small, intimate gatherings. But her favourite place to play is somewhere in the middle. 'There's something incredibly exciting about going out to a huge festival crowd,' she admits. 'But you can't have that close connection you have in a smaller venue. 'I think I like somewhere right in the middle, at theatre size. They are perfect to play because they are bigger, but it doesn't feel that you are all on top of each other. 'You have space on the stage, but you can still see the audience and feel that you are connected with them. I think I prefer that as an audience member too, somewhere in the middle of a big and small crowd. © Shutterstock 'I love playing in the Barrowlands, which is that size. Everyone says that, but it feels special. It's about 2,000 people and you can see them all. 'It's the excitement of being in such an iconic venue, too. Everyone is buzzing to be there and are really excited for the show. It just feels like there is magic in the air.' Amy has already done a few shows to promote her album, but insists touring is not as rock'n'roll as you might think. 'There's nothing worse than feeling rough as anything and trying to do a gig!' Is This What You've Been Waiting For? is out now.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
King Charles finally 'open to ending Harry feud' after peace summit but only on one condition
King Charles and Prince Harry's relationship is believed to finally be on the mend following a private peace summit held with their senior aides which is said to be a 'significant' step in reuniting the pair King Charles would be open to a royal reunion with Prince Harry if he finally scaled back on his public attacks against the Firm and stopped the "endless" interviews, according to insiders. It comes as the pair's senior aides reportedly held a secret peace summit which is said to be a "significant" step in reuniting the estranged father and son. Sources not say the "rapprochement process" could heal years of broken relations within the Royal Family but only if the Duke of Sussex stops agreeing to "endless rounds of broadcast interviews as his only way of communication". However, it's believed that Harry's broken relationship with his older brother William may be harder to fix after his memoir Spare revealed the two had a physical fight over the duke's relationship with his wife Meghan Markle. The Mail on Sunday today reported talks were held at a London private members' club that champions international friendship, and whose patron is the monarch. It comes as the strongest sign yet of the agreement of both parties to resolve their bitter feud which has now spanned on over the course of five years, the Mirror reports. A royal source told the Mirror: "The King has consistently shown he loves both his sons and as he has done in the past is prepared to meet Harry when their diaries allow such an occasion. "It's not unusual for aides from different households to meet, especially when there is a new influx of staff starting their roles, but of course this is a significant moment. "Senior members of the family have in the past said to Harry that he must both stop his attacks on the family as well as giving endless rounds of broadcast interviews as his only way of communication. "If there is a period of calm and reflection on the part of the Duke of Sussex, then there may be a way forward for him to begin along the road of repairing his relationship with his father. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "As for his relationship with his brother, that is a different matter entirely and one which he will find much harder to repair." Both Harry and Charles' aides held discussions at a London private members' club, according to the Mail on Sunday. At least three representatives from either side were seen speaking at the royal Over-Seas League which sits just three minutes from Clarence House. It is not known which side initiated the summit. The Duke of Sussex was represented by his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, Meredith Maines who is said said to have flown in from Los Angeles specially for the talks. Liam Maguire, head of the Sussexes' PR team in the UK, was also present. King Charles was represented by his communications secretary Tobyn Andreae. The details of the secret conversation have remained private with Ms Maines jetting back to the US as soon as the meeting ended. The monarchy has spent years dealing with the aftermath of Harry and Meghan's decision to quit the Royal Family in 2002 after the two hit out at the Firm with public attacks and left their royal duties behind. Most recently, Harry did an interview with the BBC in May and said he "would love a reconciliation" with his family but confessed that the King "won't speak to me because of this security stuff". Harry was referring to the removal of his police security detail in the UK which he branded an "old-fashioned establishment stitch-up" as he hinted that his father could have resolved the situation. In the bombshell interview, the duke even said: "I would like to get my father and brother back." However, Harry's 2023 memoir Spare was said to be the final straw for the Prince of Wales as it made many shocking accusations against not just William but also his wife Kate and the rest of the senior members of the Firm.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside Neil Young's tour - supermodels, Hollywood A-listers and games on rider
The Mirror goes behind the scenes of Neil Young's incredible BST Hyde Park show as we speak to tour insiders about the star's life on the road At 10.32pm on Friday night - two minutes after the strict curfew in London's Hyde Park had passed - Neil Young 's guitar finally fell silent. After a blistering encore of Rockin' in the Free World, with three false endings, festival bosses had no choice but to fade down the volume to zero. For a man who took on the BBC over its Glastonbury coverage and won, he had met his match when it came to Westminster Council's licensing laws. Not that the fans seemed to mind. To them, Neil's little act of defiance was the perfect ending to what has been billed as one of the all-time-great BST performances. 'You could tell he was just goading them into that, it was glorious,' said one. At 79-years-old, it would appear Neil is still very much a rule-breaker. In fact, the UK leg of his Love Earth world tour has been an exercise in doing things differently. Just ask both Emily and Michael Eavis. They were left poleaxed after Neil pulled out of Glastonbury earlier this year accusing it of being 'under corporate control'. He later reversed his decision but then took on the BBC and only allowed them to live-stream his set at the last minute. It's not available on iPlayer. Council red-tape aside, it was more plain sailing when it came to his second UK show in Hyde Park. For all his no-nonsense reputation, insiders say the opposite is true when you actually meet the Heart of Gold musician. Many backstage at BST were surprised by how 'incredibly down to earth and laidback he was ….with barely any entourage and just wife Daryl Hannah and a few family and friends.' One said: 'Neil made the effort to go around thanking everybody, particularly all the security staff who remarked how lovely he was afterwards.' Unlike other big A-list stars, it was very much a low-key affair with no fuss. Staff had laid on a table football table which 'went down well', as well as fridges loaded with Grolsch and Peroni. Front of house, it was a markedly different atmosphere with a guest list spanning fashion, music, film and sport all clamouring to watch him. 'It was almost like a pilgrimage….. Kate Moss, Owen Wilson, Dua Lipa, John McEnroe, Derek Chisora were all there,' says one insider. Supermodel Moss is a particularly enthusiastic fan of the godfather of grunge. But despite being side of stage for support act Van Morrison, she didn't have any such luck with Neil and watched from the crowd instead. For a man who is turning 80 this November, this may have been because of Covid protocols. All staff working around the headline area were asked to take a Covid test before entering. 'It was a precaution but an important one not least as his tour goes on for many months,' said one. But it would appear Neil still got to enjoy a taste of Britain. For a man who doesn't do many interviews, many of the glimpses into the Canadian's life comes from his website where he updates fans in his own inimitable style. In staccato, short sentences, he said how the morning after Hyde Park he 'went for a walk to the morning too breeze.' Of the show itself, he admitted: 'A lot of our family shared yesterday and the music was there for to see and feel everyone.' He then chronicled his trip to Paris via Eurostar, where he was set to play last night (Sunday) 'Beautiful english countryside rolls not see it til spring or summer to return soon... missed too many old friends,' he says. He added: 'Sitting at the ferry dock watching so many cars coming off the ferry, arriving cars and home wants to visit beautiful, open and friendly.' Being on Eurostar, he said, reminded him of 'playin' trains with nice to see him again soon.' Neil has previously told how he built an intricate miniature train set for him and his son Ben, who has severe cerebral palsy, to bond over. For many fans, the beauty of the tour so far has been in its unpredictability. He is known to chop and change his set-list around at the last minute keeping the audience - and his band the Chrome Hearts - on their toes. For a man whose back catalogue spans six decades including seminal albums Harvest, After the Gold Rust and Rust Never Sleeps, he is not short of material. And many believe this incarnation of the band has given Neil a new lease of life. Certainly on stage, it seems like he is having a whale of a time, while both his haunting voice - and guitarmanship - remain as strong as ever. Says an insider: 'The BST show was one of the best shows Neil had the new band seems to have galvanised him.' Of course, the singer is as famous for his activism as he is for his music. Just a few months ago he predicted that his outspoken attacks on Donald Trump could see him banned from entering the US for that leg of the tour. 'When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminium blanket,' he wrote. Even Neil's train trip to Paris at the weekend was not without reflection about the state of the world. After popping out the other end of the Channel Tunnel, he wrote: 'On the way I saw the respect for earth's beauty of advertising natural lands showing the beauty of Earth without disruption respect for earth a corporate $ checkbook. ...They care in sure looks like it. ......music tomorrow..' FIVE STAR REVIEW BY TOM BRYANT, ASSOCIATE EDITOR It would take some effort to eclipse what was a magical show on Worthy Farm two weeks ago. But as the sun set on W2, Neil Young did just that with a spell-binding performance for the ages. All the focus had been on the star's Glastonbury show in the build-up to his European tour. Not least the controversy over whether he would allow the BBC to screen his performance. But here in Hyde Park it was all about the music – and the 79-year-old rocker delivered with aplomb. There was no scrimping on a hits-packed set list including Old Man, Harvest Moon and the Needle and the Damage Done. There was even a rare outing for his 1970 tear-jerker After the Gold Rush which made its tour debut. Sat astride a piano, it was a moment of perfection and you could hear a pin drop in the hushed royal park. Otherwise, the godfather of grunge was at his rocking best, generating an inordinate amount of noise as they jammed into the night with a thrilling encore of Rockin' in the Free World. Until 10.32pm that is…
