Public funeral for radio star Stephen Clements cancelled

It had been announced yesterday evening that a service at Roselawn Cemetery at 4.30pm on Tuesday would be open to the public.

However this evening those plans were cancelled with a private service taking place instead.

Both announcements were relayed to the media via Clements employers, the BBC.

The sudden death of the 47-year-old was announced by the corporation on Tuesday.

In the update to funeral plans the BBC said: “The service announced last night will now not go ahead. There will be a private service for family and close friends only.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words. We appreciate the privacy given to our family at this time.”

No details of when and where the funeral will take place were released.

Clements, a married father-of-two, joined BBC Radio Ulster last summer, having been the long-time presenter of Q Radio’s breakfast show.

His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes across Northern Ireland and beyond.

Having turned Q Radio’s breakfast show into one of the most popular programmes in the Province, Clements landed what his “dream job” at the BBC last year.

He worked as a presenter for BBC NI’s coverage of the Open golf championship at Royal Portrush in July, and in September became the new host of Radio Ulster’s mid-morning show.

His brother Gavin wrote on social media that Stephen was “my inspiration, my hero, my brother, I am broken”.

In a statement, he also said: “We are devastated to lose Stephen who was deeply loved by his family and friends. We would ask for time to come to terms with this news and for privacy at this difficult time.”

The presenter, who was married with two children, began his radio career with Citybeat.