Australian radio personality Merrick Watts is mourning the loss of his beloved mother.
On Sunday the 51-year-old comedian and media personality announced the sad news of his mother Alison’s passing.
Sharing an emotional tribute on Instagram, Watts revealed she died following “a short illness” and said she was a “wonderful mother [and] an exceptional grandmother”.
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“It’s with immense sadness that I say goodbye to my mother Alison. She was a weapon. Strong, brave, stoic but full of love and compassion,” he wrote in his moving post.
“Mum passed away after a short illness with her boys proudly by her side every minute to the end. If you met her, you’d probably remember her. She left an impression.
“She was a teacher who taught me invaluable life lessons that don’t exist in text books. She backed my brother and I in our every dream allowing us to follow our paths as we chose.”
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Watts went on to call her “a fierce friend [and] a deadly foe”.
“A wonderful mother, an exceptional grandmother. You’ll be missed mum but you will never truly leave us. Thank you. I love you. 💔💪,” he finished.
Radio star Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes commented: “Lovely words mate. A champion woman who gave her offspring the best chances in life [heartbreak emoji].”
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Nova star Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald added: “Sad news Mez, sending all our love to you and the family brother <3.” 
Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett commented: ”So sorry for your loss mate. Mothers are very special. Condolences to you and your family.”
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It comes after Watts spoke about the split between him and radio co-host Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross. The pair formed the comedy and radio hosting duo Merrick and Rosso, but their partnership broke down around 2009.
He told Nova’s Head Game podcast: ”I think we just exhausted ourselves as a unit and we’d done everything, we’d even lived together, and then I got my own family and got different priorities.”
But he insisted: “It’s taken a long time and still we’re not separated… it will always be Merrick and Rosso.”
Ross said on Mumbrellacast that the pair are “like brothers”.
“What really unites us in our friendship is that shared history. We’re really, really lucky to have that bond,” he said.
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