Gavin Ford, one of Lebanon’s most popular radio presenters, was found dead in his home in the hills of Beit Mery near the capital, Beirut.
Ford, a British citizen, was found reportedly covered in blood in his bedroom on Tuesday, with police confirming it was a murder without putting forward a motive.
Police said that Ford’s car appeared to have been stolen at the same time although they did not directly link the theft to the killing.
An-Nahar, a local newspaper, reported that Ford’s arms had been tied and that he had been strangled with a piece of cloth. The Associated Press news agency also quoted an unnamed official who confirmed Ford was strangled.
Ford’s voice enthralled the Lebanese for 20 years. He was the host of the breakfast show for Radio One, an English-language music channel in Lebanon. A household name, his killing has left his fans in shock.
Hiba Abboud listened to him as a teenager over a decade and a half ago. She remembered him with fondness and said: “Gavin made everyone’s morning. He was always upbeat and his was the cool show to listen to.” Abboud called his untimely demise a loss for Lebanon adding that “A piece of Lebanon is now missing. His voice is a part of growing up in Lebanon.”