Willoughby, Neville Newton Montrose, O.D., Broadcaster, Singer/Songwriter.
| Personal | Born: St. Andrew, Jamaica, May 5, 1937. |
| Son of T. Newton Willoughby, Attorney at Law (deceased) and Zena Willoughby, Legal Secretary. | |
| Educatioin | Suthermere Preparatory School; Jamaica College; University of Toronto |
| Career | Announcer: RJR 1960-63 Interviewer: BBC Caribbean Service, London 1962-64; Announcer: JBC Radio and Television 1964-69 Freelance Announcer: RJR since 1969. |
| Host | RJR's "Evening People Show" from 1985 - 2001 |
| Colgate Cavity Fighters Club since 1974 | |
| Awards | The Prime Minister's Medal 1983, Musgrave Medal(Bronze) 1987, Officer of the Order of Distinction 1989. |
| Publications | Novel "Jamaica boy". |
| Organisations: | Member of The Performing Rights Society. |
Neville Willoughby, who died yesterday (12/20/06) at the University Hospital
of the West Indies, has been celebrated as one of Jamaica's premier broadcasters
whose career spanned almost five decades.
Willoughby, who was 69 years old, succumbed to injuries he sustained in an auto accident along Molynes Road, St. Andrew, Tuesday evening.
Doctors had listed his condition as serious.
Alongside Allan Magnus, Don Topping, Marie Garth and Henry Stennett, Willoughby was part of a formidable RJR team during the 1970s.
Topping described his long-time friend as a "quiet, mild-mannered person".
"His strongest point was his articulation which was clear, his language was always simple and easy to understand," said Topping. "His knowledge was also broad-based."
Barbara Gloudon, who also works with RJR, first met Willoughby on a school trip to Haiti in the 1950s. She said he was the "consummate professional".
"He was one of those persons you could never say a bad word about," she said. "For a person with so much talent, Neville never blew his own horn."
Willoughby also tried his hand at singing and had a big hit song in the catchy Yuletide number, 'Christmas JA'.
Shortly after moving back to RJR, Willoughby snared an exclusive interview with rising star Bob Marley of The Wailers in 1973. The group was in turmoil at the time, with founding members Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone on the verge of leaving for solo careers.
Willoughby travelled to the Rasta commune of Bull Bay, St. Andrew where he met Marley and members of his band.
"He (Marley) was very relaxed and willing to talk about anything," Willoughby said in a 1998 interview. "I knew he was special from I heard 'Thank You Lord'."
The interview was later released in album form and remained a popular seller when reissued in compact disc by RAS Records, a Washington DC-based independent label.
(Excerpts taken from the Jamaica Gleaner)
Posted 12/26/06