Tributes have been paid to veteran broadcaster John Stapleton, who has died in hospital at the age of 79.
Confirming his death on Sunday morning, his agent Jackie Gill said Mr Stapleton had Parkinson’s disease, which was complicated by pneumonia.
“His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lise have been constantly at his side, and John died peacefully in hospital this morning,” she said in a statement.
Mr Stapleton was best known for his work as a presenter and reporter on ITV breakfast television, as well as hosting Watchdog and Nationwide on the BBC.
The broadcaster, who is also known for presenting programmes including Newsnight, Panorama and GMTV’s News Hour, revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2024.
Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time.
Speaking to The Mirror, about his diagnosis, Mr Stapleton said: “You can’t escape these things as you grow older, these kinds of developments are sort of inevitable.
“You learn to live with it, get on with it and try to be as positive as you can.”
Tributes have poured in for the veteran journalist, including from GB News’ head of programming Ben Briscoe, who described him as “one of the kindest people in TV News” and said his reuniting with his former co-host Penny Smith on the GB News sofa recently was a “magical moment”.
Erron Gordon, the head of the BBC’s Media Operations department, who used to direct Mr Stapleton on ITV’s breakfast TV shows, said he was “one of the very best presenters” he had ever worked with and “truly one of the good guys”.
“His versatility was unmatched, and he had an innate ability to navigate any challenge from breaking news to technical hiccups. Whether in the studio or on location, he was brilliant.
“Each Christmas, he and [co-host] Penny Smith would bring the crew presents, showing just how much he cared about the team,” he added.
Manchester City Football Club, which Mr Stapleton ardently followed until his death, also paid tribute to the “passionate City supporter and a regular at the Etihad Stadium”, offering their thoughts to his friends and family in a post on X.
Veteran Sky News presenter Mark Austin said of his death: “Incredibly sad. A good man and top presenter who could turn his hand to anything.”
And broadcaster and political commentator David Wooding described him as a “superb professional and a great guy”, adding that it was “always a joy to see him”.
Mr Stapleton was born on 24 February 1946 in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of a primary school teacher and the secretary of a local co-operative.
After leaving school in Manchester, he started working as a trainee reporter at the defunct Eccles and Patricroft Journal when just 17 years old.
After working for a series of local newspapers, Mr Stapleton became a staff reporter on the Daily Sketch on Fleet Street, before taking on his first job as a researcher and script writer on This Is Your Life.
He joined BBC’s Nationwide in 1975 as a reporter, before making his name as one of its main presenters from 1977 until 1980.
Mr Stapleton worked as a correspondent for BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight programmes, reporting from areas such as the Middle East and El Salvador, before working as Newsnight’s Argentina correspondent during the Falklands War.
Various stints at different shows with ITV and BBC followed for the veteran broadcaster. He was known as a versatile journalist who went from interviewing high-profile politicians and global figures to reporting from the ground during global incidents, such as the refugee crisis resulting from the Kosovo war.
As a presenter for the ITV breakfast programme GMTV, Mr Stapleton anchored four US elections, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Pope John Paul II’s funeral, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
He was awarded the Royal Television Society’s News Presenter of the Year owing to his work covering the 2003 war in Iraq and interviews with then-prime minister Tony Blair.
