Dame Jenni Murray, the esteemed broadcaster who presented BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour for three decades, has died aged 75, the BBC confirmed.

She became the programme’s longest-serving host, having joined in 1987 and departing in 2020.

Tributes remember Dame Jenni as a “broadcasting icon” who leaves “an indelible legacy on generations of listeners”.

Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie: “This is incredibly sad news and our thoughts are with all of Dame Jenni’s family and friends. Dame Jenni was, simply put, a broadcasting icon.

“Throughout her three groundbreaking decades on Woman’s Hour, Jenni created a safe space for her audience thanks to her warmth, intelligence and courage.

“We shall all miss her terribly. Her legacy endures in the countless conversations she started, the many issues she championed and the lives she touched.”

She was made a dame in 2011 in recognition of her contribution to broadcasting and was awarded an OBE in 1999.

During her tenure on Woman’s Hour, Dame Jenni interviewed high-profile figures such as Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Castle,‎ Shirley Williams, Gloria Steinem, Bette Davis, Monica Lewinsky and Hillary Clinton.

She also interviewed Anna Politkovskaya, Kate McCann, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Wangari Maathai, Benazir Bhutto, Dame Judi Dench, Saoirse Ronan and Joan Baez, who sang Diamonds And Rust in the studio especially for the host.

She signed off her final episode of Woman’s Hour in October 2020 with Helen Reddy’s feminist anthem I Am Woman.

Mohit Bakaya, controller, BBC Radio 4 and director of BBC speech audio, added: “Jenni Murray was a formidable voice in British broadcasting who was warm, fearless and beloved by listeners.

“During her decades at Woman’s Hour, she helped shape the national conversation with intelligence, rigour and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences.

“Jenni leaves an indelible legacy on generations of listeners. We are profoundly grateful for her outstanding contribution to Radio 4, and she will be deeply missed.”

Talent management firm Knight Ayton said Dame Jenni was a “true professional and a pioneer”.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the firm said: “We are very sad to learn of the death of Dame Jenni Murray.

“We started representing Jenni in 2020 as she was leaving Woman’s Hour after a long career at Radio 4.

“True to her spirit of fun, she surprised many by taking part in ITV’s The Real Full Monty to great acclaim the same year. The announcement of her participation made front page news. Her reason for taking part was simple. To encourage more women to check for breast cancer.

“Last year she returned to the BBC to present a series for Radio 3, Jenni Murray’s Women Composers. We loved working Jenni, a true professional and pioneer.

“She interviewed every prime minister of the last 30 years, she was as comfortable with high-powered politicians as with the grieving parents of Madeleine McCann, and the first Hollywood star she encountered was Bette Davis.

“The late foreign correspondent Charles Wheeler described Jenni as having ‘the most beautiful voice on the radio – ever’.”

Born in Barnsley, Dame Jenni joined BBC Radio Bristol in 1973 and went on to report and present for BBC TV’s South Today.

In 1983, she joined Newsnight before moving to Radio 4 for the Today programme.