Wilmot Perkins | Jamaican radio host, 80

Wilmot Perkins, 80, a veteran Jamaican journalist considered the island's "godfather of talk radio," died Friday at his home after a brief illness.

Mr. Perkins, nicknamed "Motty," was considered Jamaica's longest-serving radio talk-show host. He worked for more than 50 years in radio, launching his first program What's Your Grouse? on RJR 94FM in 1960. He quit a couple of years later to become a farmer but returned to radio in the 1970s, ultimately launching a show called Perkins On Line on Hot102 FM, according to his former employers.

The show focused on topics ranging from bus fare increases to Jamaica's colonial past. Many listeners referred to his show as the "poor man's university," according to Mr. Perkins' former employer, Power 106FM.

Local media described Mr. Perkins as "outspoken and controversial" and said he was a fearless journalist who loved a good argument. The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper referred to him as the "godfather of talk radio" in an online tribute.

- AP