Ryan Tubridy has paid tribute to Colm Keane, the former RTE journalist who died aged 70 on Saturday.
Sean was married to former RTÉ newsreader Una O’Hagan, with whom he had a son, Sean, who died in 2007.
Ryan spoke of his “colleague and friend” Colm, who he described as “warm and caring”.
He said: “It’s very emotional for us for a number of reasons, largely because at the end of the day Colm was as good as he was to be here with us this week.
“We only spoke to him last Tuesday or Wednesday. He passed away very suddenly.
“He was very nice to me when I started here. He was a producer. He was warm, friendly and caring, and did great shows on great pop artists. Again this morning, we were reminiscing about his shows with the Lovin’ Spoonful and his charming style of production and presentation.”
Ryan added: “He was married to the very amazing Una O’Hagan, who not too long ago retired from the newsroom here.
“They were the parents of the most handsome young man called Sean who died way too soon.
“They were a great family and I just wanted to say that Colm’s legacy is highly respected among his colleagues and friends here at RTE.”
Colm’s funeral is due to take place today, Tuesday January 25 at 11.30am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in his native Youghal, County Cork.
In the late 1970s, Colm joined RTÉ’s Today Tonight programme, a show known for its in-depth investigative reporting and analysis.
He quickly moved to radio where he was a producer, presenter and reporter.
He has also produced numerous radio series during his long career at RTE and has written bestselling books including Nervous Breakdown, The Stress File, Mental Health in Ireland, The Teenage Years and Death and Dying.
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