Colourful Inverness radio star loses fight with 'Gladys'
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The radio world is mourning the death of a wacky DJ from Inverness who earlier this week died in hospital from cancer - or as he defiantly called the disease, "Gladys."
DJ and presenter Bobi Maclennan (61) cut his teeth as a popular mobile DJ and on Inverness Hospital Radio before joining the fledgling Inverness based Moray Firth Radio in the '70s.
Tributes have been paid by a broad spectrum of friends and former colleagues.
Local broadcast journalist Jackie O'Brian said: "This is so sad. He was completely crazy but still a delight to work with and a lovely warm character.
"It was quite edgy sitting at the newsdesk across from him at times as he was always fiddling with scripts when you were on air.
"He once literally once set the Weather on fire, so as a warning we would go around singing the Crowded House hit Everywhere You Go Always Take the Weather With You.'"
MFR veteran Tich McCooey said: "Such sad news even though we knew it was coming. I cried when I heard the news.
"I've known Bobi since the 70's when we were both rather popular mobile DJs in Inverness long before MFR and then we worked together at MFR.
"I'm terrible at keeping in touch but Bobi and me did keep in touch and I had a video call with him just a couple of weeks ago."
Another Inverness journalist and MFR vet Mike Edwards said: "I went to school with Bobi and he was an absolute one-off even then.
"My fondest memory of him was when I was on the MFR newsdesk and he phoned the White House and asked to speak to President Reagan."
Electrical and audio engineer Ken Robertson who knew Bobi at MFR and became long time friends, said Bobi died in Monklands Hospital on Monday night.
He added: "Bobi was a colourful character, and while he was working at Scot FM in Leith he was encouraged to go after the job that Chris Evans eventually got at Virgin Radio. He was told him to take his CV with him, and he duly turned up wearing a chicken suit and driving a wee Citroen 2CV with details of his career written on the bodywork!"
He told also how Bobi while at Scot FM had on his show as a guest entertainer a professional clown which was pretty visual for radio.
Bobi had him juggling cups from the canteen but to make it work for radio, of course the cups had to fall and be smashed.
"The station manager wasn't too happy the next morning," said Ken.
"He was defiant about his illness and refused to use the word cancer and instead called it 'Gladys'."
He added that the Inverness funeral of Bobi, who has a brother and two sisters, is being arranged by undertakers D. Chisholm & Sons.
