Jon Akass

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Jon Akass
Born(1933-07-16)16 July 1933
Bedford, England
Died4 June 1990(1990-06-04) (aged 56)
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationBedford Modern School
Known forColumnist
SpousePeggy
Children4

John Ewart Akass (16 July 1933 – 4 June 1990), known as Jon Akass, was a British

NOW! in 1981. Akass was named British columnist of the year in 1976.[3][4]

Life

Akass was born in Bedford, England, and educated at Bedford Modern School between 1944 and 1949.[5][6][7]

After National Service with the RAF, Akass joined the London office of the

Manchester United football team in 1958.[8] He soon moved to the London offices of the Daily Herald where he worked alongside Dennis Potter and was given a regular column at the age of 24.[4][9]

Akass stayed with

NOW! in 1981, two days before Goldsmith closed the magazine. He returned to his previous post, but was a columnist of the Daily Express in his last years.[1] He was a personal friend of Michael Parkinson.[10]

Akass died from cancer in London on 4 June 1990, aged 56, and was survived by his wife, Peggy, and four children.[2][11] His memorial service was held at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, where Canon John Oates officiated.[12] Readings were given by his son, Mark Akass, and Nicholas Lloyd.[12] Akass was a convivial journalist and over one hundred people attended the service including Michael Parkinson, Eve Pollard and Anne Robinson.[13] Anne Robinson's then husband, John Penrose, read an address as did George Gale remarking that "John is up there drinking gin with the angels".[13]

An obituary by Keith Waterhouse in The Guardian described him as a "shambling Ustinov-shaped figure in a crumpled white suit" who "forever looked either as if he was on his way to a good nap after a good lunch or as if he had just risen from a good nap in time for the cocktail hour and a good supper."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Obituary in The Guardian, Write after lunch, by Keith Waterhouse, Tuesday 5 June 1990
  2. ^ a b "Veteran Fleet Street columnist Jon Akass". Chicago Tribune. 7 June 1990. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b The Times, 21 January 1976, p. 4
  4. ^ a b c Obituary in The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, 5 June 1990, p. 21
  5. ^ England BMD Indexes
  6. ^ Eagle News, The Magazine of The Old Bedford Modernians' Club, Number 62, January 1991, p. 40
  7. ^ Letter in The Independent, Tuesday 19 June 1990, p. 25
  8. ^ Dennis Griffiths (ed) The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1422–1992, London and Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992, p. 71
  9. ISBN 9781468305616
    . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  10. ISBN 9781844569007
    . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Jon Akass, Fleet Street Columnist, Dies of Cancer". Associated Press. 4 June 1990. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  12. ^ a b The Daily Telegraph, Thursday, 12 July 1990, p. 19
  13. ^ a b Evening Standard, Thursday, 12 July 1990, p. 6
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