The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has announced the demise of its patron, Joe Lartey Snr.

The veteran commentator died on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Mr Lartey, who brought life to Ghana's sports through his commentary, was born on 6 June 1927 in Accra to parents he described as strict.

In his last interview with JoySports, he said they were leaders of the Methodist Church and played a major role in the establishment of present-day Mount Zion Church.

His father, according to him, was nicknamed "Mr Kill-Joy's father" because he wasn't allowed to do many things.

"I wasn't allowed to go to the cinema, I wasn't allowed to do sports, I wasn't allowed to practice music."

He attended Accra Government Boys School and later Accra Academy Secondary School.

At age 16, he bolted from school and joined the British Navy which was recruiting Ghanaians for the World War.

"I went into the Navy because there was war. If there wasn't war at the time, I couldn't have gone into the Navy.

"I was at Accra Academy during my secondary school course. I bolted. I ran away from the secondary school, Accra Academy, and joined the Navy.

"What they did was, they wanted Africans who could stand the weather, the tropical weather that's why they recruited some of us here so immediately the war ended we were discharged.

Lartey’s rise to fame was through journalism. He began as a writer through the influence of former Nigeria leader, Nnamdi Azikiwe.

"Azikiwe's editorials were stinking. He was bamboozling the British colonial system and they didn't like him, I think they managed to get him out, and he left Ghana and people started having ideas about journalism and how to write and all that.

"My eldest brother gave me a little bit of tuition and allowed me to read."

However, it was the microphone at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), that sold him to the world.

He arrived at GBC as a member of The Talks and Features Department. Having previously taught as a teacher, he was assigned to write and edit stories because his English was impeccable.

Fate would give him his calling when a member of the sports department fell ill, and Festus Addai who was the head of the sports department invited him for an outside broadcast.

It was the beginning of how he gripped the attention of the nation with the microphone and later served as the first president of the Sports Writers’ Association of Ghana.