Gary Burgess dies at 46

Sunday 02 January 2022

Broadcaster and journalist Gary Burgess died on New Year's Day.

Mr Burgess was 46. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in November 2020. He died peacefully at the Jersey Hospice.

He is survived by his husband, Alan. In 2018, they became the first couple in Jersey to convert their civil partnership into marriage. 

Mr Burgess moved to Guernsey from Blackpool in 2003.

He was a broadcaster at Island FM and BBC Radio Guernsey. He then moved into television with ITV, initially working from Guernsey and then, since 2012, from Jersey.

He also had a radio show on Channel 103 in Jersey and wrote a column for the Jersey Evening Post.

In a final message, which he asked to be released after his death, Mr Burgess wrote that he had enjoyed "the best life" and "the luckiest life". 

In a separate message, his husband, Alan, thanked well-wishers for "the positivity, warmth and support" which the couple received in recent months.

Mr Burgess overcame cancer several times in his life. 

He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1999. A tumour was surgically removed and cancer which had spread to his chest and lungs required chemotherapy.

In 2015 and 2016, he had tumours surgically removed from his lungs. 

In 2019, a new cluster of tumours was discovered in a lung and in his chest. He underwent three months of aggressive salvage chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial.

In July 2020, a new tumour was discovered in a lung, and in October of that year further tumours were discovered. At this point, it was agreed that medical support should move from curative to palliative care. 

Mr Burgess retired from full-time broadcasting in August 2021. He continued to blog and write columns until his death and they were often read by thousands.

Funeral arrangements, including a public service, will be announced shortly.