BROADCASTER GERRY KELLY, who presented the UTV chat show Kelly for 17 years, has died at the age of 77.

The Northern Irish man presented his eponymous show from 1989 to 2005 on Friday nights. He then took up presenting on BBC Radio Ulster from 2009 to 2019.

UTV’s head of news and programmes Simon Clemison described Kelly’s show as a “must-watch on Friday nights, featuring some of the biggest names in entertainment”.

“Gerry Kelly was one of Northern Ireland’s best known and much-loved broadcasters,” Clemison said, adding that UTV wished to offer its condolences to Kelly’s wife, family and friends.

The chat show saw scores of high-profile appearances, although a 1999 segment in which an 8-year-old Rory McIlroy appeared chipping golf balls into a washing machine is one of the best-known moments.

In 2018, Kelly revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years previously.

Deputy first minister for Northern Ireland Emma Little-Pengelly said in a post to X: “So sorry to hear of the death of Gerry Kelly, a face and a voice that so many generations across Northern Ireland were familiar with. A much loved presenter with a huge character.”