Much-loved broadcaster Terry Wogan dies of cancer aged 77

TV and radio legend Terry Wogan has died aged 77, the BBC has confirmed.

Originally from Limerick, the presenter was one of the best known broadcasters  in the UK and Ireland – best known for helming Wake Up To Wogan on BBC Radio 2 and the TV chat show Wogan.

He died after a short illness, his family said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes – tweeting that Britain had lost a “huge talent”.

In a statement, the BBC said: "Sir Terry Wogan died today after a short but brave battle with cancer. "He passed away surrounded by his family. While we understand he will be missed by many, the family ask that their privacy is respected at this time."

Wogan had a 50-year career on television and radio and was the voice of Eurovision for many years.

He had been involved in the UK Children in Need since it began. BBC Radio 2 controller Bob Shennan said: "As the host of Wake up to Wogan, Terry established himself as one of the greatest and most popular radio hosts this country has ever heard. "We were brightened by his wonderful personality and charm as he woke us up every weekday morning, becoming an essential and much-loved part of our lives. "His millions of listeners adored him, as did his whole Radio 2 family. We will miss him enormously and our thoughts at this very sad time are with Helen and all the family."

Wogamn originally went into banking after college before switching careers to join Ireland's national Radio Eireann as a newsreader and announcer. He moved into light enertainment, as a DJ and host of TV quiz and variety shows in Ireland, before joining the BBC.

Michael Terence Wogan was born in Limerick on 3 August 1938, the son of a grocery shop manager.

His upbringing was strongly religious. At the age of eight he was sent to Crescent College, a school run by Jesuits where discipline was harsh. His father's promotion in 1953 saw the family move to Dublin where he attended another Jesuit school and developed a love of amateur dramatics and rock'n'roll.

He admitted that he had not really applied himself at school. "I only ever did enough to pass exams," he said.

"I never had any capacity for preparing for anything. That's why I'm so lucky to be in a job where I make it up as I go along."

Wogan left school in 1956 and briefly worked in a branch of the Bank of Ireland, close to Dublin's cattle market, where he later recalled having a lot of fun with a jolly crowd.

"We used to fire wet sponges at each other across the bank concourse."

But radio lured him away from his ledgers and he got a job as a newsreader and announcer with Irish broadcaster RTE after answering a newspaper advertisement.

He spent his first two years working on news and documentaries but then moved across to light entertainment.

He did a stint as a radio DJ before being chosen to host Jackpot, a quiz show that proved immensely popular on RTE during the 1960s.

However, the show was dropped in 1967 and Wogan approached the BBC to see if they would give him some work and a stellar career spanning more than 40 years began.