TRIBUTES have poured in for former RTÉ 2FM presenter DJ Simon Young, who passed away on Sunday, October 31.
Young, whose real name was Thomas Meade, started his career in pirate radio in in the 1970s before going on to present shows with the station such as ‘The Beatbox’ and the 2FM Weekend Breakfast Show in the 1990s.
Friend and former colleague Ian Dempsey led the tributes on Twitter, stating: “Extremely sad news about Thomas Anthony Meade AKA Simon Young RIP - a naturally deep thinking soul loving funny friend…..”
Appearing on RTÉ Radio 1’s Ray D’Arcy Show, Dempsey also said that Simon “is the last person that would want us all to be morose" about his passing.
He said they immediately hit it off when they began working together in 2FM, and that they were close friends all the way through.
“I think it’s great to celebrate a fantastic talent and a really warm guy, and a very, very funny man, and also a very deep thinker.”
Extremely Sad news about Thomas Anthony Meade AKA Simon Young RIP - a naturally deep thinking soul loving funny friend ….. https://t.co/tyqBswWnjw
— Ian Dempsey (@IanDempsey) October 31, 2021
Ryan Tubridy also remembered Young on his radio show yesterday, saying his passing was “desperately sad” and describing him as “someone very very instrumental to my early days here in RTÉ".
"He presented a programme called Poparama for a long time with Ruth Buchanan," Tubridy continued.
"When I was about 12 or 13-years-old, I came in to review books. I wrote in and said I'd love to do some book reviews.
"I would sit down and review the books and he was - as was Ruth - the nicest and very warm and amiable and friendly.
“He was a very, very good, kind man. He will be very, very much missed. He was somebody you couldn’t be happier to meet on a given day,” Tubridy concluded.
Head of RTÉ 2FM, Dan Healy, said: "Simon Young was one of the biggest names on 2FM in the station's early years. He was a great radio professional and a favourite among Irish audiences.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of his passing. We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and former colleagues. May he rest in peace.”
Broadcaster Rick O’Shea said on Twitter that while he arrived too late to have worked with Young at 2FM, he was “a constant presence on the radio and TV when I was a kid and one of the voices that shaped music here in the 80s and 90s,” while Dustin the Turkey tweeted to say they had “great craic” on The Den.
Young was originally from Glasnevin in Dublin but was living in Washington DC at the time of his death.
He left 2FM in 2002, and in an interview with Hot Press in 2011 cited health issues as his reason for doing so.
