Gerry Ryan would be too old for 2FM but would RTE Radio One take him, Fanning says 15 years on from pal's ‘wrong' death

The Irish Sun

30-04-2025

DAVE Fanning has hailed the impact of his late pal Gerry Ryan ahead of the RTE radio legend's 15th ­anniversary.
And Dave told The Irish Sun: 'I would love to have seen where his career went.'
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The 2FM host died unexpectedly from cardiac arrhythmia on April 30, 2010
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Pal Dave said he would have loved to have seen where Gerry's career went
Credit: Dave Fanning
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Heartbreaking scenes are Gerry's funeral
Credit: PA:Press Association
The 2FM host left a massive hole in the Irish broadcasting landscape when he died unexpectedly from cardiac arrhythmia on April 30, 2010.
His best friend
Back then,
'You wonder if RTE Radio One would have taken him. Maybe they might have been ready for a change. They certainly would have had to give Gerry a morning show on RTE Radio One.'
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Dave admits he got this hopelessly wrong before in 1988 when then
Dave told us: 'I told Bill it would be brilliant for Gerry but there is no way Irish people are going to take to Gerry Ryan in the morning.
'They had no idea what Gerry was getting up to at night. I certainly didn't think what Gerry did on the radio, this kind of Monty Python humour, would translate to the general population. How wrong I was! Within a month Gerry was massive on morning radio.'
The Ryan Line, as Gerry called it, was open each morning running from 9am to midday for a staggering 22 years, becoming one of the most listened to radio shows on Irish radio.
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Host Gerry not only pioneered a style of broadcasting that encouraged listeners to discuss their personal lives and experiences, but he was also credited with change on social issues, as evidenced by the Lavinia Kerwick case and its impact on rape sentencing laws.
However pal Dave said that while Gerry survived numerous reshuffles at 2FM, eventually his pal would have grown too old for the station. Dave said: 'The landscape was changing. Gerry was the biggest thing on 2FM at the time he died but he didn't necessarily suit the rest of the station which was being aimed at younger people.
'HIS BEST DAYS'
'Gerry could have gone into a morning slot on RTE Radio One from 9am to 11am with Pat Kenny coming on after. They could have done that.'
Dave, who saw pal Gerry bring chaos, fun and merriment to the nation for decades, believes had he lived to see it, his later career would have been more sedate. Dave said: 'Did Gerry have his heyday? Yes!
'Did he have his best days? Yes!
'In the last 15 years he might not have had the impact he had before, because radio does not have the same impact it had before.
'There are so many distractions. But I so wish Gerry had lived to do that because it would have been fascinating to watch.'
"Gerry's death was stupid and wrong and shouldn't have happened"
Dave Fanning
Gerry was found dead at his apartment at Upper Leeson Street in Dublin on April 30, 2010. His inquest heard that traces of cocaine probably triggered the ­cardiac arrhythmia that resulted in his death.
Commenting on Gerry's sudden passing, Dave told us: 'Gerry's death was stupid and wrong and shouldn't have happened.
'Maybe his lifestyle wasn't treating him too good but it was ridiculous and very sad.'
However Dave, who remains friends with Gerry's widow Morah, will never forget his radio pal.
Dave said: 'You could never believe the fun you could have with Gerry Ryan. I cannot reiterate that enough.
'What the man had was a combination of total mischief and massive intelligence. He's gone. But the fun he gave us. Gerry Ryan lit up a room and because he was completely insane and bonkers, no one else had to be.'
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Gerry was found dead at his apartment at Upper Leeson Street in Dublin
Credit: PA:Press Association
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The Irish Sun's front page the day after Gerry's death
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd