Robbie Keane pays tribute to Terry Wogan

77-year-old Limerick radio and TV personality Terry Wogan has died after a short battle with cancer.

Chris Evans paid a heartfelt tribute to Sir Terry Wogan on this morning’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

It has been released in a statement that “He passed away surrounded by his family”. “We will miss him enormously and our thoughts at this very sad time are with [his wife] Helen and all the family”.

The Beeb’s director-general, Tony Hall, said he had lost a “wonderful friend” – and added Sir Terry has left a “remarkable legacy” through Children In Need, which has raised hundreds of millions of pounds for charity.

Sir Terry enjoyed a 50-year career on radio and television, including presenting Wake up to Wogan on BBC Radio 2 as well being the voice of Eurovision for many years.

His “Wake up to Wogan” radio show was one of the most listened programs to in Europe – attracting around eight million regular listeners.

He briefly worked as a banker before he became a newsreader and announcer for RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster.

Wogan, born in Limerick in 1938, also hosted popular quiz show “Blankety Blank” and annual fundraising event “Children in Need” for over 30 years.

“Sir Terry was such a legend throughout our whole lives on TV and radio”.

Australian singer Kylie Minogue passed her condolences on in a post that read, “Sir Terry interviewed/introduced me many times over the years”.

“He always made you smile, made you laugh”, the Prime Minister added.

He was awarded an honorary knighthood in 2005, making him Sir Terry, and announced his retirement from his breakfast show in September 2009.

In a sign of the impact he made, leaders of Ireland, the country of his birth, and Britain, where he has always been revered as a “national treasure”, paid their tributes to Sir Terry.

The Witney MP tweeted: “Britain has lost a huge talent – someone millions came to feel was their own special friend”.

Such sad news. There are great TV broadcasters & great radio broadcasters.

While a hit on the radio, Sir Terry was also heavily involved in television, with his celebrity chat show Wogan running from 1982 to 1992.

He said: “He was warm, funny, welcoming, generous”. Later series included “WOGAN THEN AND NOW” and “WOGAN: THE BEST OF”.

Fellow broadcaster Henry Kelly went to the same school as Terry, Belvedere College in Dublin.

He said: “I thought the first thing I ought to do is go and see Terry”.

Terry Wogan, star of the BBC and son of Limerick, waves to adoring fans in his home town, 1974.