Radio personality Geordie Tuft dies in house fire

The farmer, who lived on the Legananny Road near Loughbrickland, was best known for his comical contributions to the Gerry Anderson show on Radio Ulster.

It is not yet clear what caused the fire which was reported around mid-day.

On Tuesday night, talk show host Stephen Nolan tweeted: “Geordie Tuft made me laugh so much. Laugh out loud so hard that it hurt. I’ll miss him from the airwaves.”

Blame Game host Tim McGarry posted the message: “Och, very sorry to hear ‪#‎GeordieTuft‬ has passed away. He was one of the people who helped make Gerry Anderson a genius on @bbcradioulster.”

Broadcaster Mike Philpott said: “Horrified to learn that Geordie Tuft, a real character on local radio, has died in a house fire.”

DUP MLA Sydney Anderson said they had “shared many enjoyable memories,” while UUP MLA Jo-Anne Dobson describe Mr Tuft as “a true character”.

Mrs Dobson added: “His regular contributions to BBC Radio Ulster will be long remembered and his advice will continue be followed by many people for years to come. My thoughts and prayers at this time are with his family circle who are very well known in the Banbridge area.”

SDLP Upper Bann tweeted: “Very sad to learn of the tragic death of Geordie Tuft (Loughbrickland) a great character who ‘held his own’ with Gerry Anderson, may he RIP.”