ABC star Peter Thompson dies after Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

ABC star Peter Thompson dies after Parkinson’s disease diagnosis The Australian presenter, who had Parkinson's disease, recently contracted pneumonia and died in a hospital in Sydney on Friday ABC broadcaster Peter Thompson has died aged 73. The Australian presenter, who had Parkinson's disease, recently contracted pneumonia and died in a hospital in Sydney on Friday. His family confirmed the death to ABC on Monday. Thompson was an environmental campaigner and helped preserve the Tasmanian Franklin River by campaigning in the early 1980s. However, his career first started in radio as a sports broadcaster in 1970 at 2LF. After moving to Tasmania he worked across a number of stations and hosted TV current affairs programme This Day Tonight. In 1987, he joined ABC and became the host of Drivetime for ABC Radio Sydney. His friend and fellow environmentalist Bob Brown said: "Peter made his mark as the Australian Conservation Foundation’s campaigner to stop the Franklin River dam in the early 1980s. "He was an early advocate and media star who had a pivotal role in saving the Franklin River wilderness. Appalled by the flooding of Lake Pedder, he won public debates with advocates for damming the Franklin River, including former Labor Premier ‘Electric’ Eric Reese. Thompson is survived by his partner Jane Rowe and daughter Alexa. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.