TRIBUTES have been paid to the architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace who has died at the age of 68.
The star’s husband Martin Corbett confirmed his death in a social media post earlier this week.
“It is with deep sadness and shock that I share the news that my beloved husband and soulmate, Hugh Wallace, passed away suddenly at home last night,” he said in the statement on Monday, December 1.
“I am heartbroken, please respect my privacy at this deeply painful time,” he added.
Over the years Wallace presented a number of series on RTÉ One, including Home of the Year, The Great House Revival and My Bungalow Bliss.
He was the only judge to appear in every series of Home of the Year, which he fronted since it first aired in 2015.
“On RTÉ’s hugely popular Home of the Year, Hugh, with his fellow judges, not only opened the door to the most extraordinary homes in Ireland, but he also inspired viewers to engage with the vast possibilities of innovative design,” RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said while paying tribute this week.
“Our thoughts are with his husband Martin, his family, his colleagues in Shinawil, Animo and RTÉ, and his many close associates for whom Hugh was a beloved colleague, inspiring mind, and the warmest of friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,” he added.
Wallace was also a founding partner of Dublin-based practice Douglas Wallace Architects, which he helped build into one of Ireland’s best-known design consultancies.
His funeral will take place at 11am tomorrow at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.