Tributes flood in following the death of renowned sports broadcaster Johnny Lyons

The voice of 98 FM's sport has sadly passed away.

Johnny Lyons, sports editor of 98 FM and renowned sporting broadcaster has died. The presenter of the Now That’s What I Call Sport show at the station, had been off work with a broken ankle and was expected to return next week.

According to a report in the Irish Times, colleagues had difficulty contacting him, which led to concerns. His body was discovered in his apartment in Dublin's city centre.

The station have since released the following statement on the tragic news.

The Directors, management and all the staff at 98FM are heartbroken at the death of our dear colleague and great friend Johnny Lyons. Johnny died suddenly and peacefully at his home in Dublin. Johnny has been the backbone of our sports team for over 20 years. His distinctive voice and his passion for soccer defined Johnny for so many of his listeners. He was a talented presenter with a deep knowledge and love of sport and his Sunday morning programme ‘Now that’s What I Call Sport’ was a weekly date for so many Dubliners. Keith McCormack, Chief Executive of 98FM paid tribute to Johnny saying "The entire station is devastated with the sudden passing of a beloved colleague. Johnny, with his larger than life personality, was loved by all listeners and colleagues alike. He was a huge part of the 98FM family and will be dearly missed, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family at this time. May he rest in peace". 98FM will be paying tribute to Johnny on air over the next few days.

Tributes to the broadcaster have been flooding in on social media following the news. https://instagram.com/p/6k4IVwhtQ7/ https://twitter.com/aslinndubh/status/634082048504930305 https://twitter.com/niallboylan4fm/status/634082034437242880 https://twitter.com/RichieMcCormack/status/634081313524461568 https://twitter.com/melbyrneFM104/status/634083937690763269 https://twitter.com/jonathanhealy/status/634083381794480128 https://twitter.com/davidhall75/status/634083484785623040 https://twitter.com/liam_coburn/status/634083348852404224 https://twitter.com/SeanMarum/status/634086412887961600 https://twitter.com/BlathnaidT/status/634087043174375424