The legendary broadcaster and journalist John Stapleton has died aged 79.
Veteran TV reporter Stapleton, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, died on Sunday morning after coming down with pneumonia.
Born in the Greater Manchester town of Oldham in 1946, he became best known for appearing on the BBC’s Watchdog and GMTV’s News Hour.
A statement from his agent said his Parkinson’s had been complicated by the pneumonia diagnosis, adding: ‘His son Nick and daughter-in-law Lisa have been constantly at his side and John died peacefully in hospital.’
Stapleton revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2024 on Good Morning Britain, saying: ‘There’s no point in being miserable. It won’t ever change.’
He continued: ‘I mean, Parkinson’s is here with me now for the rest of my life. The best I can do is try and control it and take the advice of all the experts.’
Stapleton began his career at the Oldham Evening Chronicle before forging a career on TV in the early 1970s, starting at Thames TV.
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