Veteran broadcaster John Stapleton has died in hospital at the age of 79, his agent has said.
Confirming his death on Sunday morning, Jackie Gill said: “John had Parkinson’s disease which was complicated by pneumonia. His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lisa have been constantly at his side and John died peacefully in hospital this morning.”
Mr Stapleton was best known for his work as a presenter and reporter on ITV breakfast television, as well as hosting Watchdog and Nationwide on the BBC.
The broadcaster, who is also known for presenting programmes including Newsnight, Panorama and GMTV’s News Hour, revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2024.
Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time.
Speaking to The Mirror, Stapleton said: “You can’t escape these things as you grow older, these kinds of developments are sort of inevitable.
“You learn to live with it, get on with it and try to be as positive as you can,” he added.
Tributes have already begun flooding in for the veteran journalist, including GBNews’ Head of Programming Ben Briscoe, who described him as “one of the kindest people in TV News” and recalled a “magical moment” when he recently reunited with him.
Veteran Sky News presenter Mark Austin said: “Incredibly sad. A good man and top presenter who could turn his hand to anything.”
Mr Stapleton was born on 24 February 1946 in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of a primary school teacher and the secretary of a local co-operative.
After leaving school in Manchester he started working as a trainee reporter at the defunct Eccles and Patricroft Journal, when just 17 years old.
After working for a series of local newspapers Mr Stapleton became a staff reporter on the Daily Sketch on Fleet Street, before taking on his first job as a researcher and script writer on This Is Your Life.
He joined BBC Nationwide in 1975 as a reporter, before making his name as one of its main presenters from 1977 until 1980.
Mr Stapleton worked as a correspondent for BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight programmes, reporting from areas such as the Middle East and El Salvador, before working as Newsnight’s Argentina correspondent during the Falklands War.
Various stints at different shows with ITV and BBC followed for the veteran broadcaster. He was known as a versatile journalist, who went from interviewing high-profile politicians and global figures to reporting from the ground during global incidents, such as the refugee crisis resulting from the Kosovo war.
As a presenter for ITV breakfast programme GMTV, Mr Stapleton anchored four US elections, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Pope John Paul II’s funeral, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
He was awarded the Royal Television Society’s News Presenter of the Year owing to his work covering the 2003 war in Iraq and interviews with prime minister Tony Blair.
