July 29, 2013

BBC’s Jon Leyne dies of brain tumour aged 55

One of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents Jon Leyne has died of a brain tumour aged 55.

Acting director of BBC News Fran Unsworth said: "Jon was a brave and courageous journalist in the best traditions of the BBC. He had an insatiable curiosity and told complex stories in an engaging and accessible way."

Leyne joined thee BBC in 1985 after studying at Exeter University and then Oxford, where he took at MPhil on the subject of global terrorism.

The Daily Telegraph reports: “Leyne loved the BBC, and was always conscientious and hard-working. In his spare time he was a keen runner, rower and pianist. He was also accomplished on the bassoon, taking the instrument wherever he was in the world; while in Jordan he played bassoon with one of the country’s leading orchestras, performing in the Roman amphitheatre at Jerash.

Leyne worked as UN correspondent for the BBC was also based around Europe, the Middle East and Washington. In recent years he covered the Libyan uprising and the Egyptian revolution.

In 2009, Leyne was BBC correspondent in Tehran and was ordered to leave the country within 24 hours as part of a crackdown on foreign media.