Legendary N.L. broadcaster Deborah Birmingham dies at 61 after a long battle with cancer

Deborah Birmingham died on Tuesday, at the age of 61, after a battle with cancer.

She is well known in Newfoundland and Labrador as the voice in OZFM's top-rated show Dawn Patrol. She co-hosted the show with Larry Davis — also known as Larry Jay — and Randy Snow, who died only three months ago.

"She was a trooper," Jay said, who was married to Birmingham for almost a decade.

"She was her own person on the radio. She didn't depend on us at all to tell her what to say, what to do, that's for sure."

Newfoundland and Labrador broadcasting company NTV aired a tribute to Birmingham on Wednesday, showcasing archival footage of the radio star throughout her career. Host Toni-Marie Wiseman described Birmingham as a "trailblazer for women in music radio."

Fred Hutton, the province's minister of transportation and infrastructure, used to work with Birmingham at NTV. He told CBC News she was the kind of person who could make anyone laugh thanks to her quick wit.

He said people admired her for her hard work, as a mother of two young kids, showing up to the early shift every day before dawn for the radio show and leaving an impact with thousands of listeners.  

Birmingham's daughter, Stefanie Davis, told CBC News about those early days growing up, having the show playing in the background as she and her brother, Christian, got ready for school.

"They would be off work by the time we were done school. So [we] got to spend, you know, every afternoon with them," she said.

Davis says her mother's biggest joy was making people laugh, despite anything that was going on in her personal life. And even though she had a charismatic personality on air, inside Birmingham was actually a bit shy and introverted, Davis said.

Birmingham was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017. With treatments, Davis said, the cancer went into remission, but returned last year.

"The last few months were definitely difficult. She tried to obviously stay as positive and uplifting as she could, but it was tough for her at the end," Davis said.

A lasting impact 

Jay says the three hosts were good friends who would meet early for the show, drink coffee, play rock 'n' roll, and be nothing but themselves.

He says Birmingham always found a way to make others laugh. Her positivity and dark humour was just as sharp, even after her cancer diagnosis.

Birmingham, along with her co-stars, made a major impact through their show, attracting thousands of listeners. Jay said he didn't realize just how many were touched by it. It was only after the death of Snow and Birmingham that he was flooded by messages from people reminiscing on how much the show meant to them.

"It's heartwarming in that respect, that so many people listened and you really appreciate that," he said. "Makes you realize that you were an important part of people's lives."

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