Rod Liddle, outspoken British columnist and broadcaster, dies at 66
The combative British columnist and broadcaster whose work helped shape decades of newspaper and radio debate, has died at 66 after a short
Rod Liddle, the combative British columnist and broadcaster whose work helped shape decades of newspaper and radio debate, has died at 66 after a short illness. He died on Sunday evening at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
His children, Wilder, Tyler and Emmy, said they were “very saddened and shocked” by the sudden death of their father, whom they described as their guide “on how to live an extraordinary life.”
A familiar name in British media
Liddle wrote for the Sun and the Sunday Times, where his sharp, often provocative style won him both loyal readers and fierce critics. He also maintained a weekly column in the Spectator and presented a show on Times Radio.
News UK chief executive Rebekah Brooks called him “an inimitable journalistic force,” saying he “challenged conventional thinking and left an indelible mark on British journalism.”
His death prompted a wave of tributes across the industry. Liddle was widely known as a columnist who did not soften his views. That made him influential. It also made him divisive. Few writers of his generation drew such a strong reaction, or worked across so many corners of the British media landscape.
From Today editor to polemical columnist
Before becoming a fixture in print, Liddle edited BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme. He later became known for a more outspoken public voice, including criticism of what he saw as liberal bias at the BBC.
In the 1980s, he worked as a speechwriter for the Labour Party, though his later writing often took aim at the political left. That shift helped define the tone of his columns and his reputation as a provocateur.
Colleagues and media figures remembered him as a strong presence on air and in print. The former Sun editor David Yelland said Liddle had become “a brilliant and gifted writer” whom he could rarely agree with but always turned to first. Today presenter Justin Webb described him as brilliant, kind and funny.
Tributes from family and colleagues
His children said he kept his humour even in hospital in the last few weeks. “He consistently held the room and never let the awful situation show,” they said. “He has left a legacy that we are all incredibly proud of.”
For News UK, the loss reached across titles and platforms. Liddle had been a regular voice for readers and listeners alike, from the pages of the Sun and the Sunday Times to his radio work. His death at 66 closes a long and highly visible chapter in British journalism.
