Dame Esther Rantzen: key obituary facts
Is Dame Esther Rantzen dead? Yes. Dame Esther Rantzen died on September 30, 2026, at age 86.
Cause of death: Dame Esther Rantzen's cause of death was reported as Lung cancer.
What was Dame Esther Rantzen known for?
She was an English television presenter.
More about Dame Esther Rantzen
Born: 22 June 1940.
Place of birth: Berkhamsted.
Gender: female.
Occupation: journalist, television presenter, presenter, author.
Nationality: United Kingdom.
Education: Somerville College, North London Collegiate School, Buckley Country Day School.
Employer: British Broadcasting Corporation.
Awards: Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Spouse: Desmond Wilcox.
Children: Rebecca Wilcox.
Also known as: Dame Esther Louise Rantzen.
Occupations: Journalist, television presenter.
Years active: 1968–present.
Dame Esther Rantzen, the British journalist and television presenter best known for hosting the BBC’s That’s Life!, died on September 30, 2026, aged 86, after a period with lung cancer.
Born Esther Louise Rantzen in Berkhamsted in 1940, she presented the long-running programme for 21 years, from 1973 to 1994, and became widely associated with public-service broadcasting. Beyond television, she devoted much of her later life to charitable work, founding Childline in 1986 to support children and The Silver Line in 2012 to address loneliness among older people.
Her career and campaigning efforts earned her a sequence of honours, including an OBE, a CBE and, in 2015, a damehood for services to children and older people.