AA Gill: 'Giant among journalists' dies of cancer
Acclaimed restaurant critic AA Gill has died of cancer at the age of 62. The Sunday Times journalist revealed he […]
By Daisy Wyatt
Updated July 2, 2020 6:01 pm
AA Gill (Getty)
Acclaimed restaurant critic AA Gill has died of cancer at the age of 62.
The Sunday Times journalist revealed he had cancer a few weeks ago, writing in the newspaper in November:
"I've got an embarrassment of cancer, the full English.
"There is barely a morsel of offal not included. I have a trucker's gut-buster, gimpy, malevolent, meaty malignancy."
The writer said his diagnosis prompted his successful proposal to Nicola Formby, his partner of nearly 25 years.
The news of his death was revealed by Sunday Times political editor Tim Shipman:
AA Gill, the writer who first made me buy the Sunday Times, the best of us for thirty years has died. Very sombre mood in the office.
— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) December 10, 2016
Friends and colleagues on the newspaper were informed of his death by editor Martin Ivens, who described the celebrated critic – known to some by his first name Adrian – as "a giant among journalists".
His final column will be featured in tomorrow's edition.
Instagram is helping AA Gill – and the rest of us – process his cancer diagnosis
Golden career
Born Adrian Anthony Gill, the journalist attended art school as a student and only began writing in his Thirties.
After six years signing on and trying to paint, Mr Gill abandoned his artistic ambitions and spent several years working in restaurants and teaching cookery.
He wrote his first article for Tatler in 1991, under a pseudonym, about his account of being in a detox clinic.
In 1993 he moved to The Sunday Times, where he established himself as one of the newspaper's flagship writers.
He became The Sunday Times' restaurant and TV critic, and also worked as a restaurant reviewer for Vanity Fair.
Mr Gill was dyslexic and dictated all of his writing.
He was a recovering alcoholic, who drank until the age of 30.
Married twice before he met model and writer Ms Formby, Mr Gill's second wife was Home Secretary Amber Rudd. The couple were married for five years.
Mr Gill spurned Twitter in favour of Instagram, where he spoke openly to his followers about his cancer diagnosis.
He is survived by his fiancee, Ms Formby, their nine-year-old twin daughters, and two children from his marriage to Ms Rudd.