Ian Sweiger, one of the founders of Spectrum Radio, has died.

The station, which aimed to give a voice to London’s ethnic communities, featured a regular slot for Jewish Londoners.

Mr Sweiger, who was born in London in 1939, set it up with his partner of 25 years, Beverley Bond.

It was launched on the June 25 1990, broadcasting from studios in Endeavour House, close to the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Mr Sweiger, 79, was a director of the company for four years between 1992 and 1996.

He wrote about himself: “Never made my fortune but my life is extremely interesting.”

Beverley’s death in 2009 left him “heart-broken”, he said. 

A keen self-taught artist, his subjects included scenes from nature and the Second World War. His work featured on the Saatchi Art website.

According to his nephew Stuart Grabski, Mr Sweiger had lots of creative outlets and had previously toured with a travelling puppet show and also ran jazz clubs in South Africa. He had also lived in America, where he worked at the time as a dental technician. 

"He was a great character," said Mr Grabski. "He was the kind of person who always spoke his mind and what you saw was what you got, which earned him a lot of respect from people who knew him."

Mr Sweiger, who lived in Edgware, died on Friday after a short battle with leukemia.