Who was Brian O'Donovan? Cause of death explored as Boston mourns loss of WGBH host 

WGBH radio host Brian O'Donovan passed away at his residence on Friday. The A Celtic Sojourn show anchor was 66 years old at the time of his death. According to their official website, he died from glioblastoma. Listeners of the series have since taken to the internet to express their grief and shock over the unexpected news.

GBH president and CEO Susan Goldberg released a statement following Brian O'Donovan’s death. She said:

“His passion for music and his sheer joy in sharing it was abundantly clear to GBH listeners, whether of his weekly show or of his spirited events. In more than 35 years with our organization, Brian never met a stranger. His warmth to his colleagues, and his deep commitment to the mission of GBH, will be greatly missed.”

According to AANS, glioblastoma is an “aggressive” and “fast growing” “brain tumor.”

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Brian O'Donovan studied at the University College Cork

The GBH personality was born in 1957 in Clonakilty, West Cork to a butcher and a full-time homemaker. After graduating from the University College Cork in 1978, he moved to London where he delved deep into the Irish music scene.

In 1980, O'Donovan traveled to Boston for a three-week long vacation and decided to make it his new home. During his time there, he met his wife of 42 years, Lindsay Henes.

In 1982, the music fanatic studied at Emerson College, Boston to pursue a master’s degree in mass communication.

Following his graduation, Brian O'Donovan worked as a consultant for the Gilette Stadium. He eventually climbed up the ladder and was the lead in organizing events at the stadium. In the next few years, he would go on to book Aerosmith, Madonna, U2 and David Bowie amongst others for performances.

Before his stint at GBH, he worked at other companies including Foxboro Stadium, New England Patriots and the New England Revolution.

In 1986, he joined GBH to host A Celtic Sojourn, where he explored traditional and contemporary music from the Celtic world. He went on to host “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” which has become a New England essential during the holidays.

As Brian O'Donovan continued to spread awareness about Irish music and immigrant communities, in 2017, then-mayor Marty Walsh declared December 14 to be the Brian O'Donovan Day.

Speaking about how he felt about the cancer prognosis, he said in an interview with the Boston Public Radio:

“My kind of attitude generally has been to take every piece of life and every experience as the gold nugget that it is. When you get a diagnosis like this, you need to really think about making the most of whatever time you have left.”

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Listeners of A Celtic Sojourn mourn the loss of the radio show host

Internet users were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic announcement. Many shared their condolences with O’Donovan’s loved ones. A few comments online read:

Tributes pour in as A Celtic Sojourn host passes away (Image via acelticsojournlive/Instagram)

Tributes pour in as A Celtic Sojourn host passes away (Image via acelticsojournlive/Instagram)

Tributes pour in as A Celtic Sojourn host passes away (Image via acelticsojournlive/Instagram)

Brian O’Donovan is survived by his wife Lindsay, their children Aoife, Aidan, Nuala, Ciaran and their grandchildren Ivy Jo Jacobsen and Nomi Francis O’Donovan.