Television and radio star Ernie Sigley dies at the age of 82

Television and radio star Ernest William Sigley, better known as “Ernie”, has died, aged 82.

Sigley, who had been living with Alzheimer’s disease and had been in residential care in his final years, passed away peacefully on Sunday, according to a family statement.

The son of a boilermaker, Sigley was born in Footscray and was one of seven sons.

His entertainment career was built from humble beginnings, with Sigley first working as a turntable operator at radio station 3DB Melbourne in 1952.

After making his television debut on Teenage Mailbag at the age of 19, Sigley spent two years in Europe during the early 1950s, working at the BBC and Radio Luxembourg as a disc jockey.

Returning to Australia and having to essentially ‘start from scratch’, Sigley interviewed The Beatles during the Adelaide leg of their 1964 Australian tour before hosting prime-time variety show Adelaide Tonight in the early 1970s.

Poached back to Melbourne by GTV9, his popularity soared in his role hosting The Ernie Sigley Show, where he was teamed with Denise Drysdale.

Also known as the ‘little Aussie battler’, Sigley received 21 Logie Awards, scooping the Gold Logie in 1975 for most popular personality on Australian television.