Loading AI tools
Irish radio DJ and television presenter From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vincent Hanley (2 April 1954 – 18 April 1987)[2] was a pioneering Irish radio DJ and television presenter, nicknamed "Fab Vinny".[3] He worked mainly for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, and was the first Irish celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.[4][5] He has been described as "Ireland's first gay celebrity".[6]
Vincent Hanley | |
---|---|
![]() Vincent Hanley presenting MT-USA from New York City in 1984, three years before his death. | |
Born | Clonmel, South Tipperary, Ireland | 2 April 1954
Died | 18 April 1987 33) Dublin, Ireland | (aged
Cause of death | Cerebral toxoplasmosis resulting from AIDS |
Nationality | Irish |
Other names | Fab Vinny |
Occupation(s) | Radio and television presenter |
Employer | RTÉ |
Known for | Radio presenting, MT-USA and his early death |
Hanley began presenting pop music shows on RTÉ Radio Cork in 1976. He also did stints in Dublin on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ television,[7] including a special on Gilbert O'Sullivan.[8] When the first dedicated pop station, RTÉ Radio Two (now branded 2FM), was started in 1979, he was one of its best-known DJs.[9][10] While in Dublin he shared accommodation with Charles Self.[11] In 1981, he moved to London to work for Capital Radio.[4] In 1984, he declined a lucrative offer to remain there and moved to New York City.[4]
Hanley founded Green Apple Productions in 1983 with Conor McAnally, an RTÉ television producer and son of actor Ray McAnally. The company produced MT-USA (Music Television USA), a three-hour-long music video show modelled on the new American cable channel, MTV.[7] MT-USA was broadcast on RTÉ from 1984 to 1987 on Sunday afternoons. Each block of videos was followed by a segment filmed in New York City with Hanley introducing the videos, discussing American music and culture, and interviewing a celebrity.[7] RTÉ described him as Europe's first VJ (video jockey).[4]
In 1987, Hanley died shortly after his 33rd birthday.[2] He had been visibly ill for some time, and was rumoured to have an AIDS-related illness, which he denied.[12] This reflected the stigma then associated with the disease and with homosexuality in Ireland, which was not decriminalised until 1993.[13] The illness admitted by Hanley was congenital cerebral toxoplasmosis, described as an "eye disorder"; he was blind in one eye by his death.[10] Toxoplasmosis is very rarely fatal in adults who do not have a weakened immune system. In 2000, Hanley's friend and colleague Bill Hughes, who had himself come out in the 1990s, agreed that Hanley had in fact died of an AIDS-related illness.[13] The same year, the Sunday Tribune newspaper placed Hanley at the top of a list of Irish gay icons.[4]
In February 2022, RTÉ aired a new documentary about Hanley, titled Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes.[14][15]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.