Reinaldo Maria Cordeiro (; 12 December 1924 – 13 January 2023), known professionally as Uncle Ray, was a Hong Kong broadcaster, disc jockey and actor at

RTHK Radio 3 RTHK Radio 3 () is a broadcasting station under Radio Television Hong Kong. It was launched on 30 June 1928 and is the first radio broadcast station in Hong Kong. At present, the station broadcasts on 567 kHz for all of Hong Kong, as well as add ...

. He was named "The World's Most Durable DJ" in 2000 by the Guinness Book of World Records. He was of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

descent.

Early life and career

Born Reinaldo Maria Cordeiro in Hong Kong on December 12, 1924, Uncle Ray was one of six siblings. Cordeiro worked as a warden in Stanley Prison and then as a clerk at the

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong ...

shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Radio career

In 1949, at the age of 25, he started his broadcasting career as a scriptwriter with

Radio Rediffusion Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...

. He eventually became a DJ and hosted a programme called ''Progressive Jazz''. He joined

Radio Television Hong Kong Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econo ...

(then known as Radio Hong Kong) in 1960 as the Head of Light Music. In 1970, he started the series ''All the Way with Ray'', the longest-running radio programme in Hong Kong which ran for 51 years until 15 May 2021. He had also cameoed in various Hong Kong films in the 1970s and 80s. Through the years, Cordeiro had interviewed many prominent musicians, including

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. He was recognised by

Elvis Presley Enterprises Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is a corporate entity created by "The Elvis Presley Trust" to conduct business and manage its assets, including Graceland.

for his lifelong contribution to Presley. He was voted top DJ in Hong Kong for four consecutive years. He was awarded an MBE in 1987 by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. Cordeiro received an Honorary Fellowship from the

Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for p ...

in 2012 and an Honorary Doctorate of Social Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022. On 15 May 2021, Cordeiro retired at the age of 96 after hosting his final radio show, which had been running on public broadcaster RTHK since 1970. ''All the Way with Ray: My Autobiography'', a career-focused memoir by Cordeiro, was published in 2021 by Hong Kong-based Blacksmith Books. Cordeiro died at the

CUHK Medical Centre CUHK Medical Centre is a non-profit teaching hospital at Ma Liu Shui, New Territories, Hong Kong, next to University station. Opened on 6 January 2021, it is a self-financed teaching hospital of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The ...

in Hong Kong, on 13 January 2023, at the age of 98. Government officials expressed their condolences with the news of his death.

Programmes hosted

* ''Progressive Jazz'' (1949–1960 at Rediffusion) * ''Talent Time'' (1950–1956 at Rediffusion) * ''Rumpus Time'' (1950–1956 at Rediffusion) * ''Just For You'' (1964–1969 at RTHK) * ''From Me To You'' (1964–1969 at RTHK) * ''Hit Parade'' (1964–1969 at RTHK) * ''Lucky Dip'' (1964–1969 at RTHK) * ''All the Way with Ray'' (1970–15 May 2021 at RTHK) * ''Just Jazz with Uncle Ray'' (2012–2021 at RTHK)

Filmography

References

External links

Official website (archived)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cordeiro, Ray 1924 births 2023 deaths Hong Kong radio presenters Hong Kong people of Portuguese descent Members of the Order of the British Empire RTHK Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star