Postmortem to delay Gerry Ryan funeral

THE funeral of broadcasting legend Gerry Ryan is unlikely to take place before Thursday because of the delay in holding a postmortem as a result of the bank holiday weekend.

Last night Fr Cormac McIlraith, parish priest at St John the Baptist Church in Clontarf, said that by law, funeral arrangements could not be made until the coroner released the body. Fr McIlraith said he hoped the release would take place tomorrow.

Fr McIllraith said he thought it likely the funeral would take place at St John the Baptist Church where Mr Ryan’s mother’s funeral took place just over three years ago. It was also the scene of Mr Ryan’s marriage to Morah Brennan, his wife of 26 years, until they separated two years ago.

The 53-year-old 2FM broadcaster was found dead in his city centre apartment in Dublin on Friday afternoon.

A spokesperson for RTÉ Radio said last night that no decision had been made on who will occupy Mr Ryan’s three-hour broadcasting slot tomorrow. He said the issue of finding a replacement for today did not arise because the station had pre-recorded a “Westlife Special” which is due to air for most of the day. The spokesman said Mr Ryan had not been involved in the pre-recorded package, despite reports to the contrary in one weekend newspaper.

Mr Ryan’s body was discovered by his partner, Melanie Verwoerd, at lunchtime on Friday when she became concerned after he failed to return her phone calls. A builder working nearby helped her gain entry to the locked apartment on Upper Leeson Street.

Morah Ryan, who identified her husband’s body over the weekend, said the public’s emotional response to his death had helped the family to deal with the devastating impact of his passing. “Despite the fact that all our hearts are broken, our pain is somewhat eased by the overwhelming number of messages of support and condolences that we have received,” she said.

Gardaí confirmed yesterday that while there was no evidence of a suspicious death, they are still carrying out investigations.

More than 4,000 people signed a book of condolence at the RTÉ Radio centre in Donnybrook over the weekend.

A book of condolence will also be opened at the Mansion House today.