Legendary Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson dies in Britain

Legendary Top Gear and Fifth Gear presenter Quentin Willson has died of lung cancer in Great Britain. He was 68 years old, UNN reports with reference to Sky News.

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The car dealer and automotive journalist, born in Leicester, joined the BBC show in 1991, appearing alongside actors such as Jeremy Clarkson and James May, until the original format was canceled 10 years later.

He then moved to Channel 5 to join the rival automotive show Fifth Gear, and did not return when Top Gear was relaunched in 2002. The 68-year-old died on Saturday after a short battle with lung cancer, his family said.

In a statement, they called him "a true national treasure" who "brought the joy of driving, from internal combustion engines to electric cars, into our living rooms."

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Quentin Willson was a keen "consumer advocate", campaigning for a number of causes, including helping to freeze fuel excise duty in his FairFuel campaign. More recently, he worked "tirelessly" to make electric vehicles accessible through his FairCharge campaign, his family said.

The statement continued: "Long before it became fashionable, he championed the GM EV1 and the prospect of electric vehicles, proving that he was always ahead of his time.

"Beloved husband of Mikaela, devoted father of Mercedes, Max and Mini, and dear grandfather of Saskia, Xander and Roxana.

"Quentin will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all who knew him personally and professionally. The space he left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just acquired, but lived; a library of experience that is now beyond our reach," the family's message reads.

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