Death of Gerry Ryan

Gerry Ryan at the opening of the Grand Canal Theatre in March 2010

RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan died on 30 April 2010, aged 53. Ryan had been presenting The Gerry Ryan Show since 1988 and at the time of his death had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm.[1][2] Ryan also hosted several television series, including Secrets, Gerry Ryan Tonight, Ryantown, Gerry Ryan's Hitlist and Operation Transformation and Ryan Confidential, as well as one edition of The Late Late Show in 2008. Ryan co-presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú. He died sixteen years later at his Upper Leeson Street apartment in Dublin, with his body found by his partner Melanie Verwoerd. The broadcaster had split from his wife Morah in 2008; the couple had five children together.

Ryan's death provoked tributes from politicians, colleagues and ordinary people alike, culminating in a mass outpouring of public and private sympathy as thousands of people queued over several days to sign books of condolence at RTÉ's radio centre and the Mansion House. The media and psychotherapists compared this to public reaction following the deaths of Michael Jackson and Diana, Princess of Wales.[3][4][5] His death was spoken in terms such as "practically br[inging] Ireland to a standstill",[6] having "a seismic effect on Irish society"[7] and having "shocked the Irish nation".[8] The Irish Times reported that its website had the biggest traffic spike since its launch following Ryan's death.[9] Google said it was the most searched story of the year in the country.[10]

It subsequently emerged, following an inquest in December 2010, that the broadcaster was a heavy alcohol drinker and cocaine user,[11] and that cocaine was a contributory factor in his death.[12] This led to comparisons, including from broadcaster Marian Finucane[13] and drugs minister Pat Carey,[14] with the 2007 death of model Katy French. According to journalist Kevin Myers, Ryan's usage of cocaine surprised many of those who mourned his sudden death and, he said, this realisation of double standards has upset much of the public.[15] RTÉ admitted that it had censored coverage of Ryan's cocaine habit.[16]

A media debate on the ethics of both journalism and Twitter, through which many people discovered Ryan had died, ensued after his death.[9][17][18][19] The manner in which some RTÉ personalities reported the death led to RTÉ bringing in new rules on how its stars should use Twitter.[20][21] Ryan's funeral on 6 May 2010 was broadcast live online and to his listeners on RTÉ 2fm, marking the first time in its history that the predominantly musical station aired a Mass. The ceremony included performances from both U2 and Westlife. Ryan was buried privately at Dardistown Cemetery in Cloghran. Several posthumous lifetime achievement awards have since been collected by the Ryan family on behalf of Gerry.[22][23]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hundreds attend funeral of Irish radio star Gerry Ryan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ McGreevy, Ronan (8 May 2010). "How do you replace the irreplaceable?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  3. ^ McDonagh, Caroline (6 May 2010). "Don't be embarrassed to grieve Gerry's passing". Evening Herald. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dubliners recall Ryan as part of their daily lives was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ O'Carroll, Gerry (5 May 2010). "Why Irish life will be poorer without Gerry". Evening Herald. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  6. ^ Roberts, Patrick (30 April 2010). "Gerry Ryan changed Irish media forever". Irish Central. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  7. ^ O'Doherty, Ian (14 May 2010). "We need to get over our competitive grief". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  8. ^ Barry, Rory (16 May 2010). "Gerry Ryan was 'in meltdown' before he died". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  9. ^ a b Linehan, Hugh (4 May 2010). "Journalistic ethics, Twitter and the reporting of Gerry Ryan's death". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  10. ^ O'Dowd, Niall (11 December 2010). "Gerry Ryan's sad death brought about by dreadful depression more than drugs". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2010. His death sent shock waves throughout Ireland. Google just revealed that his death was the most sought after domestic story all year.
  11. ^ Sweeney, Ken; Walsh, Anne-Marie; Brady, Tom (13 December 2010). "Now Ryan family fear they'll lose their home: Drug link puts payout from life assurance policy at risk". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  12. ^ Jackson, Joe (12 December 2010). "I knew he had issues with coke 16 years ago". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference I was naive about Gerry's coke use admits Duffy as Dunne attacks star's silent pals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Minister 'taken aback' at RTÉ’s silence over Ryan death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Myers, Kevin (15 December 2010). "It is up to those who publicly mourned Gerry to publicly denounce his cocaine consumption". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference RTE admits to mistakes in drugs coverage of Gerry Ryan fallout was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Doyle, Kevin (5 May 2010). "His Twitter predictions proved to be spot on". Evening Herald. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  18. ^ O'Mahony, Catherine (9 May 2010). "Media World". The Sunday Business Post. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  19. ^ Cooper, Matt (7 May 2010). "Breaking news ... the problem is it can be tweeted so fast that it hurts". Irish Examiner. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  20. ^ Tighe, Mark (9 May 2010). "RTÉ to set rules for staff who use Twitter". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  21. ^ Hogan, Louise (10 May 2010). "Loose-lipped RTÉ stars to get 'guidelines' on tweeting". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference 'No mystery' over Gerry Ryan’s shock death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ryan honoured for 'unrivalled broadcasting' was invoked but never defined (see the help page).