Alan’s death on the 7^th of February 2002 shocked his family, close friends and colleagues. Alan had never had a serious illness in his entire life. Only weeks before his death he had been enjoying trips to Oman in the Middle East for a holiday in the sunshine and to Dublin in the Irish Republic where he was one of the VIP guests at a charity concert.

In January 2002 he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and was admitted to hospital for a course of chemotherapy. He was given a very optimistic prognosis and was assured he would be out of hospital within weeks.

Only ten days later he collapsed in his hospital room and eventually his doctors discovered that his spleen had ruptured. This major loss of blood had a devastating effect on his organs and he had to remain on life-support for five days before it was decided that no more help could be given.

It was with disbelief that 150 family members, close friends and colleagues attended his funeral on February 19^th at Eltham Crematorium in South London. Following words of comfort from the family minister, Alan’s youngest brother Paul recalled memories of their childhood. Alan had worked at ITN for almost 20 years and, on the company’s behalf, newscaster Nicholas Owen paid tribute to Alan and remembered his dedication to his profession, his humour and his passion for life.

Alan’s favourite music was played in the crematorium. A friend of Alan’s, Maltese singer Fabrizio Faniello, flew in from Valletta and his ballad “I Miss the Touch of Your Breath” welcomed guests. The service ended with Alan’s favourite song of all time “Hijo de la luna” by Spanish group Mecano. This was a moving service for all.

A reception in the famous Eltham Palace followed the funeral service to allow everyone a moment to reflect and to look back at Alan’s life in words and photographs. Alan’s father personally welcomed all the guests as they arrived in the entrance hall and thanked them for coming. He lightened the mood with more humorous memories of Alan’s life.

Not only would Alan have been surprised by the number of people who wished to pay their last respects but also by how far they had travelled to be there. Close friends and colleagues arrived from all over England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Europe and even the United States. Sadly Alan did not appreciate how popular he was when he was alive but hopefully he would have approved of this tribute to his life.

Alan’s ashes have been buried in his family grave in Plumstead Cemetery, South London. There is a stone laid at the graveside in his memory.

Instead of flowers at the crematorium, Alan’s family requested that donations be made to Leukaemia Research. The Rodmans and Munro Forbes would like to thank the many people who took the opportunity to donate to this charity and to the many people who sent cards of condolence.

This is a brief outline of Alan’s education, career and interests.

Primary School:

East Ham London

Tripoli, North Africa

Secondary Schools:

Prince of Wales School, Nairobi, Kenya

King Edwards, Witley, Surrey

University:

Open University MBA

Career:

1968-1982 BBC News Information Officer

                   BBC Radio Nottingham

                   BBC Television Floor Manager

                   BBC Television Director

1982-1990 ITN Senior Programme Director

1990-2000 ITN Manager, Westminster Studios

2000-2001 ITN Resource & Night Manager

Magistrate:

Alan was both a magistrate in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Maidstone, Kent and at Bow Magistrates Court, London.

Travel:

Alan loved to travel. Perhaps his early upbringing in Libya and Kenya gave him a taste for adventure. He visited every continent of the world and he was even one of Freddie Laker’s first customers on Skytrain. This took him across the Atlantic on one of his many trips to the United States. On one holiday he even drove coast to coast in a cabriolet!

He visited most European countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. Farther afield he visited Aruba, Australia, Borneo, Canada, Dubai, Fiji, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka,

St Lucia, Tahiti, Thailand, Venezuela and of course the United States.

Finally, for 35 years Alan worked for both BBC and ITV. Here are some letters from his many colleagues who wished to express their feelings as soon as they heard that he had died.

Alan’s Life in Photographs

Many photographs were displayed at Eltham Palace to allow guests a snapshot of every stage of Alan’s life. Family members had the opportunity to see his work life and colleagues were permitted a rare insight into his formative years.

If you would like to include some of your own photographs and personal memories in this website to commemorate Alan, please forward them to: mail@munroforbes.tv