Dan Foster: Great voice takes a walk out of life studio

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Dan Foster: Great voice takes a walk out of life studio

Popular broadcaster and host of The Morning Show on Classic FM, Lagos, Dan Foster, is dead after a brief illness. He was an American radio presenter who later in his career came to Nigeria and changed the style of radio presenting.

Foster was reported to have died of complications from coronavirus. His wife confirmed the news, saying he had run some tests for COVID-19 and the results came back positive on Tuesday. Reacting to news of his death, Ben Tomoloju said Foster raised the bar in broadcasting and entertainment and would be missed dearly.

“There is a pan-nationalistic dimension to his personality, a role model, a solid phenomenon on air and off-air. There are few African-Americans who blend into the African environment and claim it. I sympathise with the entertainment and media world, and extend condolences to his family on this great loss.” Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye said Foster’s death was a great loss to the industry and Nigeria as a country.

“We are going to miss his golden voice; his value, articulation and glamour he puts into broadcasting. It’s a pity to the industry and a calamity to Classic FM,” he said.

Ben Murray-Bruce also twitted that “The death of Dan Foster saddens me. He was an excellent friend of mine, veteran radio host bar none. May his soul rest in peace.”

Well known as ‘The Big Dawg’ and ‘Top Dawg’, the versatile radio anchorman worked with numerous radio stations, including Cathy Hughes Radio One, Mix 106.5 both in the United States, and Virgin Island-based WTBN before moving to Nigeria in 2000, where he joined Cool FM.

Also reacting, Abimbola Adewole, a US-based broadcaster and anchorman of The Jobshow Africa, said: “Great voice just walked out of the studio …. He taught me breath control at City FM. The voice changed the FM. The voice made him and he used it well. His voice always gave me courage and assurance. Sweet to the bones and always had a smile for me.”

Meanwhile, a new generation commercial bank (name withheld) yesterday shut its branch located at Onne in Rivers State as coronavirus claimed the life of its manager.

The branch manager had earlier tested positive after he recently fell ill. He was said to have died at an isolation centre.

The Guardian gathered that the management of the bank decided to shut the branch yesterday following reports that almost all the staff in that branch are currently sick. It was further gathered that their samples had been taken for test, and results were being expected.

Residents of the state who had visited that branch of the bank in the last two weeks have been advised to self-isolate and report to the Rivers Ministry of Health as well as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).