BBC veteran Dave Monk has sadly died aged 72 after battling pancreatic cancer. Dave was a radio presenter on BBC Radio Essex for almost 40 years, before he was diagnosed with the disease in 2024. Real name David Travis, he was one of the original hosts of BBC Essex when it launched in 1986, and covered huge stories like the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Dave's final words to his listeners on the radio were: "Look after yourself, have a lot of fun, and don’t forget, the more you laugh, the more you live. Goodbye.”

Now tributes have flooded in for the star, with BBC Local's Robert Thompson praising him as "the voice of Essex". He said: "From solicitor to broadcaster, there was nothing Dave couldn't do, and he taught us all to grab hold of every opportunity and go after it."

Former Essex

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