BBC Vatican correspondent David Willey has sadly died at the age of 93, after more than half a century of broadcasting under his belt. David was still working well into his nineties, and covered the papacies of five different popes while working in Rome – going on to write a book about Pope Francis. Now tributes have poured in for the presenter.

BBC presenter Mark Lowen wrote of David: “Very sad that David Willey, who became BBC Rome correspondent in 1972 and never left, has died aged 93. He was an incredible authority on the Vatican, reporting and travelling with five popes, and was so kind, giving me insight and encouragement when I started in Rome in 2019.” While producer Gillian Hazell described him as “an esteemed friend and colleague with a mischievous sense of humour and endless fascinating stories from his assignments around the world."

Another fan wrote: “The BBC has been fortunate to have had a number of esteemed foreign correspondents over the years and he was definitely one of them. A sad loss but thanks for the memories. Appreciated and valued.”

While somebody else said: “What a loss. I don't think anyone, except possibly successive popes, knew more about the inner workings of the Vatican than he did. An old-fashioned reporter who didn't indulge in wild speculation or scandal-mongering. Eloquent, courteous and knowledgeable. Rest in peace, sir.”

His cause of death has been given as heart failure, in Italy, after he moved to Rome from the UK.

David was made an OBE in 2003 for services to broadcast journalism, after starting his career at Reuters.

His death came a year after David met the newly elected Pope Leo, and reflected on the changes he’d witnessed as well as his own mortality.

He wrote in 2025: “I have suddenly realised with something of shock that I am already not only four years older than the late Pope Francis, but that my own life now extends through no fewer than eight successive papal reigns.”