Veteran broadcaster Darren Scott dies after decades-long cancer battle

News24

27-05-2025

Radio broadcaster Darren Scott has died.
Scott, 60, died after his cancer aggressively returned in early 2023.
More details surrounding his memorial and funeral arrangements will be communicated once available.
Veteran radio broadcaster Darren Scott has died after a long battle against cancer. Scott died in the early hours of Tuesday, 27 May, his employer, Hot 102.7 FM, said in a statement. He was 60.
'It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of a Hot 102.7 radio legend. Earlier today, Darren Scott lost his battle to cancer,' the Johannesburg-based radio station said.
Per a previous News24 report, Scott was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer, melanoma, in 1986 and has been battling the life-threatening disease for almost four decades.
'The last few months have been very difficult for Darren with numerous hospital stays,' the station said.
'Darren will be remembered for radio, wit, creativity and charitable work. He will be missed by all of us at Hot 102.7 and listeners across the country. Our condolences go out to Darren's boys, Mark and Matthew, and the rest of the family.'
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by HOT 1027FM (@hot1027fm)
Scott's ex-wife Sarah-Kate Accetta, who earlier in the year helmed efforts to raise funds for his treatment, extended her gratitude to those who contributed and supported him.
'There are no words to truly express the depth of my gratitude to every single person who donated, prayed and stood beside him during the fight of his life,' she said.
'Your generosity through the Back-a-Buddy campaign didn't just fund treatment; it gave Darren hope. It gave him dignity, and it gave him the profound gift of feeling so loved.'
'I watched him, day after day, scroll through your messages in disbelief, humbled, overwhelmed, moved to tears. He couldn't believe that so many people cared. Thank you for giving him that in his final months.'
Per the campaign page, a whopping R515 350 was raised to aid the broadcaster.
Speaking candidly about the return of his cancer in March, Scott said the aggressive nodular melanoma on his back appeared before he left the country to live in the United States in 2022. It was removed, as the other forms of his cancer were, but it reappeared in various parts of his upper abdomen and tracheal area in early 2023.
Details surrounding his memorial and funeral services will be communicated once available.