Journalist João Paulo Guerra passed away this Sunday at the age of 82 in Lisbon, due to illness, a source close to the radio host and writer, who was hospitalized at Curry Cabral Hospital, told the Lusa agency.
João Paulo Guerra began his career in radio in 1962, having worked at the former Rádio Clube Português and TSF. He was also a correspondent for Rádio Nacional de Angola and an editor at Antena 1. In 2017, he was appointed the listener’s ombudsperson for public radio service.
In the press, he collaborated with PÚBLICO, served as an editor for O Diário, and was the main editor and writer for Diário Económico, also contributing to Diário de Lisboa and O Jornal.
As a writer, he authored a dozen books, including Memórias das Guerras Coloniais, Savimbi – Vida e Morte, Descolonização Portuguesa – O Regresso das Caravelas, Operação África, Corações Irritáveis, and Diz que é uma Espécie de Democracia.
Brother of actress and director Maria do Céu Guerra, the journalist received several awards throughout his career, such as the Gazeta de Mérito Award and the distinction from Casa da Imprensa.
In a statement published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa remembers the journalist. “The President of the Republic received with deep regret the news of João Paulo Guerra’s passing. An experienced and imaginative journalist, he excelled in radio, in the press, and on television, and was always a militant against the dictatorship and after April 25 for the doctrinal and partisan ideals he embraced, also carrying out the role of listeners’ ombudsperson in public radio broadcasting.”
The head of state highlights that João Paulo Guerra “wrote several works on the Empire and Decolonization” and that he was “awarded numerous times, garnering camaraderie in the media and public appreciation, which were complemented by many friendships and left a mark of nostalgia that the President of the Republic, who shared many years with him, expresses in offering his condolences to the family, and especially to his sister, Maria do Céu Guerra.”
News updated with information from the statement of the Presidency of the Republic