Bob Stewart News of the much-loved jock who enhanced 208, Radio Caroline and many more stations June 6, 1999 We received the news that Bob had been very ill with cancer of the larynx since early this year. The operation to remove the cancer was a success, but a few days later, serious complications entailed Bob's wife Cynthia having to rush him to hospital because he was unable to breathe properly. Fortunately she got there in time, and Bob made a good recovery. Bob is unfortunately no longer using email to keep in touch with his many fans and friends and we have not received any recent bulletins from his former shipmate Mick Luvzit, who is in touch with Bob regularly. The latest news is always added to the bottom of the page. (Photo – Bob on Radio Caroline North in 1966, aged 25! Love the headphones...)

As well as those from JazzFM, we've passed on good wishes sent by such luminaries as Tony Blackburn, Errol Bruce, Steve Young and Ben Healy. Keep those messages coming in, and we'll pass them on! (Bob would rather we didn't publish his email address at this time.)

Bob's email said,

"I'm doing fine now. Speech therapy yesterday induced some "voice" sounds rather than just a whisper. So, with a little time I'll be able to communicate like everyone else, with maybe a little less volume... And that will be just terrific!"

Thanks for your forwardings. I'm well but will go for laser surgery on Oct 12, to separate my vocal cords which have "webbed" together since the original op. Please God, this will only be day surgery if all goes well. Other than that, everything is ticketyboo!

Thank you Mary & Chris,

Hope this finds you well & blessed.

I'm doing well even though the last attempt at laser surgery didn't work.

I'm doing fine & the weather is absolutely poetically, picture perfect. Cool, crisp star-filled moonlit nights in the 40s & 50s, gloriously clear days of cloudless blue sky & sunshine, mid-70s to mid-80s. After a long, hot summer this is just perfection. Folks here have been waiting for some cool/wet weather for what seems like an eternity & it finally arrived about a week ago. We had about 6 hours of rain, not too light but not too heavy, & a cool front dropped down from Canada.

Winter in Texas is almost my favorite time because it can get bitterly cold (below freezing) and still remain as bright & sunny as a summer day. Throw in the Christmas decor on so many houses covered in Christmas lights, & it makes London's Regent Street seem positively sad in comparison.

I've always been a weather nut, so I just plain get off on the weather here. Maybe you guessed that! I mean, I can still go out of the house wearing only shorts & barefoot at 10pm to let the dog go potty & it's October 23rd or 24th & I'm not remotely cold. That 40/50 degree temp hits around 4am, so evenings are still warm. Who could not be thrilled at such fabulous conditions?

Well, so much for the weather report ...gotta go. It's 8 45am & I've just dropped my son off at school & cooked myself breakfast. I'd better crack on.

Have yourselves a good rest of the day.

Bob

Having put Rhoderic Bannatyne in touch with Bob, (a friend and colleague from their Radio Luxembourg days), he wrote to send us an update.

Bob (who had been experiencing great problems with his computer and was threatening to throw it out of the window) tells us he has recently undergone further hospital treatment, following which he says:

I'm of the opinion that I'm probably in need of a new flea and tick collar and a worming powder, but the doc won't give me a prescription. I do have the most wonderful person to call my wife. Cynthia has saved my life on three occasions and she takes such fabulous care of me and everyone to her own detriment. How I could ever have deserved such a wonderful person in my life is a mystery.

Sadly, I have no further news, gossip or scandal to report.

I talked to Bob Stewart on January 6th and he is recovering nicely. However, his computer is worn out and therefore hasn't been up and running since November. I believe he is getting a new computer as he says his son fried the other one.

I am now talking to Bob about once a month and later on will probably take a trip down to Texas to see him and his family. We had a great conversation and some laughs, and he's mailing me some information on Voice Overs. He does sound good but just not quite as good as the old days. However what's he's gone through with cancer of the larnyx, he's sounding miraculous and I'm so glad he's feeling good again.

Bob's friend Simon Tattersall sent a message for Bob with some happy memories, which he was happy to share with our site visitors.

I have finally quit radio following almost 30 fun years on radio, mainly here in the North West of England, though my first radio show was on Radio Luxembourg in July 1978 on a programme called Celebrity DJs! Remember that series? But it was you, Bob, who initially fired up my enthusiasm for radio by doing a request for my 11th birthday on the 30th May, 1967 on Caroline. I wonder if you have any recollection of the event? My father used to join in the Fleetwood to Isle of Man yacht race each year, and during the race of '67, they visited the good ship Caroline, chucking you a tin of McEwan's Export with a request wrapped around it. It was from the crew of High Noon to be played at 'High Noon' and the record? The theme from the film "High Noon"!

Anyway, just wanted to say a huge thanks for the inspiration and the great radio, both on Caroline and Luxy over many years. What great times. I always remember you playing "Maybe The Morning" every night at Closedown on Luxy!