Grange salutes late broadcaster Bob Clarke

Culture Minister Olivia Grange says Jamaica has lost a “household name” with the death of veteran radio broadcaster Walter Charles ‘Bob’ Clarke.

“Bob Clarke was a household name across Jamaica because of his affable personality and his passion for Jamaican music,” said Grange in a statement.

Clarke, who hosted Memories, a long-running Sunday afternoon programme on IRIE FM, died on Tuesday at the Port Maria Hospital in St Mary. He was 75.

The minister recalled Clarke’s willingness to promote local artistes and highlighted his significant contribution to broadcasting and the music industry.

Grange also said she worked closely with Clarke during the establishment of IRIE FM, Jamaica’s first 24-hour reggae music station, in the 1990s.

The local media fraternity has been mourning Clarke’s passing, remembering him as a respected and influential voice in Jamaican broadcasting for more than five decades.

Clarke had been admitted for treatment of a medical condition.

A respected and influential voice in Jamaican broadcasting for more than five decades, he was best known for his work at Irie FM in Ocho Rios, where he hosted Memories.

He later continued his broadcasting career in Montego Bay and remained on air until recently.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to Jamaica’s entertainment and broadcasting industry, Clarke was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Government.

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