Sports broadcaster Danny Kelly has died aged 69

Tributes have been paid to the much-loved presenter.

Kelly is reported to have had a "battle" with oesophageal cancer.

The broadcaster was best known for his appearances on sports shows Kick Off, Sporting Life and Trans-Euro Express, and more recently presented the Athletic's The View From The Lane, owning to his status as one of the most respected voices on his club, Tottenham Hotspur.

TalkSPORT, the outlet at which Kelly spent the greatest portion of his career, have paid tribute, saying: "Danny first joined the team in 2007 and fronted the Euro 2008 coverage, establishing himself as one of the most familiar voices on sports radio.

"Over the last two decades, Danny became one of the most influential figures across all of our coverage."

Parts of their lengthy tribute statement also included the following: "A true legend of the station, Danny had time for everyone and went out of his way to be kind.

"His genuine warmth and incredible passion for broadcasting will be sorely missed by all of us."

The club he supported Tottenham Hotspur have also paid tribute, saying: "The entire Tottenham family mourns the loss of one of our own, broadcasting legend Danny Kelly.

"Our thoughts and love are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time. Rest in peace, Danny ."

One of Kelly's colleagues at TalkSPORT, Simon Jordan, has added: "I've known him for a long time. Danny was an ideas factory. He was a generous, kind, brilliant man.

“He fought this battle - and this battle that he had to fight was so significant. And the adversity that he went through… I speak to his wife, Alex, and I've spoken to her this morning. She's a brilliant, wonderful lady. 

“I feel choked because we thought that Danny was coming through the circumstances.

“He'd gone through such a terrible battle and shown such strength and courage, even from being in a situation where people told him things that he couldn't do, he overcame them. And it looked like we were on the home stretch. 

“To lose someone like Danny, for me, is jarring, because there are people that you meet in your life that you attach a great deal of value to. And Danny was one of those.

“He was a very generous, kind man, very thoughtful, loved the Trans Europe Express. We had such fun. I had such fun with him. 

“We did so much broadcasting during COVID, when there was so little material because there was nothing going on.

“We would sit here and have these ideological debates about all manner of things. And we disagreed on so many things. But we had this wonderful rapport.

“Some of it wasn't in the studio, because he would be based in Ireland when he moved to Ireland.

“But we still created this dynamic between us, which stayed with me. And I know him from years and years and years back, when he was in other guises.

“He will be missed. He'll be missed by those that know him, those that listen to him… 

“The listeners loved him, because of the manner in which he would anecdotally tell stories, have strong views, it was always going back to the NME and music was his great love. Alex, his wife, was his great love, and broadcasting. 

“And one of the final things, when he did the last show about the battle... he really believed he was going to come back. And he really loved the work that he did. He loved being here.

“He loved talkSPORT. He loved Tottenham. Of course, he loved Tottenham. I'm just choked, I will miss him.

“Not that it matters what I think, it matters what Alex and Danny's family think, but I was really looking forward to seeing him on the other side of this, and really thought I would. And so I'm choked. I know we're all choked. 

“Because there are people in life that we know when they pass, it brings a reaction. Then there are people in life when they pass that make you choked.

"And Danny's one of those.”