Jo Whiley said her father Martin died and called him “the kindest man” in an Instagram tribute. The announcement came weeks after she had spoken publicly about his Parkinson's disease, bringing a private loss into view for listeners who had already heard the family’s health worries.
“My lovely Dad died today. He was the kindest man, who lived solely to make others happy. He was supremely selfless and loved nothing more than caring for others and making people laugh.” That line set the tone for a tribute that focused less on biography than on the everyday role he played in her life.
Instagram tribute from Jo Whiley
Whiley said Martin was “the BEST Manny EVER long before they became trendy” because he picked up her children at the school gates. She also described him as the “OG DJ,” a nod to the way he walked around the building site where he worked as an electrician with a huge ghetto blaster. Those details matter because they show how she framed him: not as a public figure, but as the person whose presence shaped the family routine.
She added that everyone knew Martin in the pub, in his village and at the school gates, and said he loved Elbow, Coldplay and Dido. Radio 2, Jamie Oliver and Annie Mac all sent messages of condolence on Instagram, a quick sign that the tribute landed beyond the family circle.
Parkinson's disease and the years before
The death notice followed earlier public discussion of Parkinson's disease. Last year, Whiley told Woman and Home that she needed to look after him and help her mother, and later she discussed the diagnosis on the Dig It podcast with Zoe Ball, saying they had been suspecting something was going on for a while before the diagnosis. She said Martin had asked if Parkinson's “just goes away,” which gives the timeline a blunt edge: concern first, diagnosis second, grief now.
That earlier description also complicated the picture she painted of him. Whiley said his childhood was “as sad as it gets,” that he had TB as a boy and spent 2 years alone in a sanitarium in London, and that he had no parents from a young age before being brought up by a family friend called Pap. She said meeting her mother meant he finally got to experience love, and that he devoted his life to caring for others because he knew what it felt like not to be cared for.
Frances, India, Jude, Cass, Coco
Whiley said Martin gave her, Frances and his grandchildren “the happiest childhoods anyone could have dreamt of,” calling him everybody’s favourite Grandad, especially to India, Jude, Cass and Coco. She also wrote that there were many singalongs at the Rockin’ Roadrunner with him on the mic, and ended with a note from Frances saying, “We’re going to miss you so very much.”
For readers, the practical point is simple: the family has already laid out the outline of Martin’s role in public, but the post does not give an exact date or cause of death. What it does give is a clear sequence — Parkinson's disease discussion, then a death announcement — and a portrait of a father whom Whiley clearly wanted remembered for care, noise and ordinary presence.
