Asturian journalism is in mourning. The journalist José Manuel Rad, known in the sector as ‘Chefor’, has died at the age of 67, a victim of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Born in Avilés in 1956, José Manuel began his professional career in 1982 at La Voz de Avilés and later moved to the Territorial Center of Spanish Television in Asturias in 1990. He was also a correspondent for La Voz de Asturias and La Nueva España for several years.
‘Chefor’ served as Head of TVE’s Information Services in Asturias between 1993 and 1996, when the Popular Party won the general elections and was dismissed. At that time, José Manuel Rad went to the sports writing.
At that stage, ‘Chefor’ won the hearts of thousands of Asturians by becoming the voice of the matches between Sporting and Real Oviedo in the First Division.
In 2006, José Manuel Rad took early retirement and since then he has invested his time in volunteer work, actively participating in the recovery of the memory of the Arijanos in Avilés, the town where his family comes from.
The journalist also became interested in politics, being one of the young people who, in 1982, reconstituted the Agrupación Socialista de Avilés. In fact, ‘Chefor’ was a militant of the formation for years.
At the beginning of the year he was diagnosed with ALS, after having been fighting cancer for months.
