‘Icon for a generation’: TV presenter Magenta Devine dies aged 61
Written by News on 07/03/2019
TV presenter Magenta Devine, who hosted shows on Channel 4 and the BBC, has died at the age of 61.
Devine was known for her trademark black sunglasses, stylish attire and husky voice.
Born Kim Taylor in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, she became a star in the 1980s on Channel 4’s cult youth show Network 7.
She later presented factual show Reportage and the travel series Rough Guides on the BBC.
Rough Guides was originally broadcast as part of Janet Street-Porter’s DEF II slot on BBC Two.
She died on Wednesday morning at a London hospital while undergoing treatment for a short illness, her family said.
They added that the TV star was “deeply loved for her extraordinary kindness and generosity”.
Her other TV credits included presenting ITV documentary series Young, Gifted and Broke, and the On Screen cinema review programme on the BBC’s World Service Radio network.
She also found work as a voiceover artist, appearing in a number of TV adverts and on a number of radio programmes, including the BBC’s Cult Heroes: Marc Bolan programme.
Devine also wrote articles and opinion pieces on travel, media and popular culture for a number of newspapers.
Street-Porter paid tribute to her on Twitter, describing Devine as “a brilliant presenter, a one-off who always made everything we did together utterly memorable xxx”.
Journalist Sankha Guha, who worked alongside her on programmes including BBC’s Rough Guide series, said she was an “icon for a generation”.
He said on Facebook she was “instantly recognised wherever she went” and “a star who invited attention and sometimes hostility for her bold look and style”.
Guha added: “She knew what she was doing.
“She used her public persona to tell stories about the world that mattered to her – and inspired a whole generation to travel with a sense of adventure and an open mind”.
He said he had known she was ill but added: “Her death is a bodyblow. I have lost a soul mate and a partner in adventure”.
(c) Sky News 2019: ‘Icon for a generation’: TV presenter Magenta Devine dies aged 61
