"No one else will ever come close": Northern Ireland's country music and broadcasting worlds unite in tribute as legendary Downtown Radio presenter Big T dies

Those are the words of a senior Downtown Radio man as the province’s country music and broadcasting worlds united in tribute after the death of the station’s legendary presenter, Big T.

Decades-spanning DJ, radio personality, beloved provincewide celebrity and lynchpin of the country music scene Trevor Campbell passed away in hospital aged 78 after a brief illness, his family announced yesterday (November 21).

He was last on air just a few days ago, hosting his perennially popular show to an audience of adoring fans hooked on his every word.

A double pioneer in local broadcasting, he was one of the initial presenters on Downtown Radio when it kicked off as the first commercial station on the island of Ireland – and was the inspiration for digital spin-off Downtown Country in 2015, proving vital in propelling it to its place as the UK’s biggest country station.

Tributes flowed in from media figures devastated by the news of his death, with the BBC’s biggest broadcaster, Stephen Nolan, confessing he’s “totally addicted to Big T”.

“He wasn’t chiselled perfect speaking on air as a presenter – and that’s what made him a powerhouse of a broadcaster,” he said.

“I didn’t know him, but I’ll genuinely miss a friend to me when I was in the car and at home.”

Radio Ulster presenter Richard Morgan used to read the news on Big T’s show, and remembers a man “always up for a chat and [who] had a wicked sense of humour”.

“He would still use CDs during his programmes for certain songs,” added the Evening Extra host. “He was old school.”

Trevor Campbell’s passing means that two of the longest-running and most familiar voices on Northern Ireland’s airwaves have fallen silent, as just three weeks ago the province was stunned by news of fellow Downtown DJ Candy Devine’s death.

Referring to that sad fact in his tribute, BBC journalist Bob Huggins stated: "Candy and Trev will be spinning the discs in heaven.”

Downtown content director, Stuart Robinson, said the station’s entire team is devastated by the death of their “beloved friend and colleague”.

"The term legend is often thrown around, but Trevor was a radio legend in every sense of the word,” he said.

"Trevor loved and lived for the radio, and radio loved him.”

Irish country megastar Mike Denver said he was “so saddened to hear of the passing of Big T”, while broadcaster Eamonn Mallie said: “It is hard to think we will not hear that voice again, to which I wouldn’t ever tire listening.”

Don Anderson, Downtown’s first programme controller on its launch in 1976, described Big T as a “pioneer of independent radio in Northern Ireland”.

He added: “His deep gravelly voice, and his comprehensive musical knowledge combined with a warm, ever buoyant personality, made for a great broadcaster. A professional to his fingertips.”

Big T’s shows inspired a teenage Frank Mitchell to get into broadcasting, with the ex-UTV and current u105 host stating: “When I finally worked alongside him, I was delighted to find him helpful and encouraging.

"The slickest, smoothest jock anywhere, a joy to watch in studio when records were spinning. Fab days.”

Fellow u105 presenter, Johnny Hero, said he was devastated by the passing of a man he described as “a legend on the radio, a good mate and an all-round gentleman”.

Raised in east Belfast, Big T became a household name within months of Downtown’s launch.

He readily admitted that his life played much like the country discs he span, enduring a very public battle with alcoholism after the shock death of his wife, fellow radio host Lynda Jayne, from a heart attack in 2000.

But he beat the bottle to reclaim his place on the airwaves, and found love again with partner Violet.

Beloved throughout his broadcasting career, he was especially proud of receiving an award from Nashville’s Country Music Association in 2004 and being inducted into the Irish Radio Hall Of Fame in 2016.