THE headline on the cover of the programme was most apt: “One Last Show – A Celebration of the Life of Alan Courtney Magnus”.

The beloved broadcaster, who for decades hosted Radio Jamaica’s flagship morning programme the
Good Morning Man Show, signed off in fine style in a service at the Most Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston on Friday morning, marked by religious solemnity and entertainment fitting of a man who also made his name as a singer.

Mourners, who gathered to say their final goodbyes, also had the pleasure of hearing Alan’s voice for yet another time as snippets of his morning show were played throughout the duration of the service. They were also treated to an enlarged picture of Alan smiling broadly while holding a guitar which was placed above a table at the front of the church on which rested the urns bearing the ashes of the broadcaster and his second wife, Karlene, affectionately called Kerry.

Throughout the three-hour-long service, family, friends and colleagues shared their treasured personal experiences they had with the man affectionately called “The Morning Man”.

His daughter, Anna-Kay, who shared a close bond with her father, said she was not planning to speak, “because this is hard. This represents the end of an era; the end of a chapter, having lost both of my parents”. Her mother, Kerry, passed in 2019.

Sascha Magnus, the grand daughter of the late veteran broadcaster, Alan Magnus, gives a heartfelt tribute during his funeral service held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston on Friday.

She said that to Jamaica, he was Alan Magnus, the Good Morning Man [but] “to us he was just Dad”.

“You wouldn’t know it, but Daddy was a very quiet man, he was a shy man, and a humble man. He didn’t speak much at home. If you can believe that. He really didn’t speak much unless you put him in front of a microphone and when he came alive or if you gave him a Red Stripe beer and then all the stories of his life would be told,” she said.

Anna-Kay said that, while it wasn’t easy growing up as Alan’s offspring as she believed he shared too much information on the radio about them, and that they always had to be on their p’s and q’s because everyone knew who we were, “but I was still proud to be his daughter.

“You lived a full happy life, your infectious laugh and your happy smile will always be remembered. We cherish the memories we have together with you and mummy. You gave us a great life, full of joy and beautiful memories. We are blessed,” she said through tears.

“I wasn’t ready for you to go, even though you were, but I understand. You are where you want to be. You are with mummy,” she said.

His second child, Kellie, noted, however, that while most people woke up to her father’s voice in the mornings, interestingly, her earliest and fondest memories of him were not of him being on the radio. “I almost never listened to his shows. My memories of him are him being the rare adult who had a lot of free time during the days, and he spent alot of that time with his head in a book,” she said, noting that it is from him that she developed a love for books

“He was always reading, always learning, always in search of some new information or just a good story,” she said.

She said that being loved by him was like living in sunshine constantly and his four children had the benefit of growing up in that sunshine, adding that he would take his children and older grandchildren everywhere with him, whether to a bar or an outside broadcast.

“I will forever miss the way he would say: ‘I love you yuh see’ like it surprised him and delighted him every single time. That memory tops the list of things I will always treasure,” she said, adding that the last few weeks have been rough, and that there is still Red Stripe beer in her fridge for her dad.

Kellie said that since her father retired in 2017 she had been pressing him to write his memoirs, and in the last few years, he finally agreed to do it.

“I wanted him to write his memoir because I was afraid his legacy wouldn’t be preserved properly and, in the outpouring of support in the last three weeks, I have realised I don’t need to worry about that. His legacy is safe in the collective memory of his family, his friends, and the listeners who became family and friends,” she said.

His sister Donna Ffrench, in her tribute, said that she grew up listening “to a distinct voice and an infectious laughter on air. Alan was my alarm every morning at 5:00 am on the
Good Morning Man Show.”

She thanked her brother, who became her mentor, for leading by example and teaching her to be disciplined, noting that listening to him each day inspired her to excel in school.

“Millions look up to him here and around the world. I felt proud to know that he was my brother,” she said.

She added that the last time she saw her brother was on January 1, 2024. “And when he saw me, he gave me the biggest hug and kissed me on the cheek…I watched my brother walk through the gate and I felt it was the last time I would see him.”

His other children, as well as his grandchildren, also shared fond memories. The were also joined by his media colleagues, including senior executive, RJRGleaner Communications Group Gary Allen, who said he was speaking from the heart when he described Alan Magnus as a treasure who was a genuine, straightforward person and not pretentious.

“I was one of those who met Alan long before I saw Alan, because, yes, I woke up to Alan as well from as long as I can remember. But when I met him physically I was surprised that he was so huge in my mind’s eye – he was larger than life – but he was such a small person in stature, and immediately I understand ‘little but tallawah’ because Alan has a huge footprint for all of us in media,” he said.

He said that Alan was the consummate professional and he noted that many other professionals have worked with him and around him and they all say the same thing; that Alan was a gem, never absent, never late, always on time.

“We have lost Alan in person, but I am sure that we will not lose thee memory of Alan Magnus – the genius and the gem, the longevity man, the pioneer man, that person who has the impregnable track record of being the one who had done so much for broadcasting in Jamaica,” he said.

Fittingly, the service celebrating the life of Alan Magnus ended to the strains of his song
Beautiful Day, performed by Nexus Performing Art Company.

The veteran broadcaster was also known for his 1971 hit song
Flying Machine.

Magnus, who passed away on February 3, was 80 years old. His career in broadcasting spanned more than 45 years, having started at Radio Jamaica in 1971.

Magnus was invested with the national honour, the Order of Distinction, in 1993 for his contribution to broadcasting.