John Balson: Multi-talented and 'incredibly witty' TV producer and journalist remembered

A multi-talented TV producer and journalist has been remembered as an ‘amazing’ father, husband, son and brother following his death at the age of 40.

Former Maidenhead Advertiser reporter John Balson died in May, less than two months after he started experiencing chronic migraines and dizziness.

His family are raising awareness about his death and the stresses he faced in his job working on a true crime documentary.

Nearly £80,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe page set up to support his wife, Yumeno Niimura, his three-year-old daughter, and the couple’s unborn child.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Yumeno described John as an ‘amazing father’ and a talented and loving husband with a sense of adventure.

The couple first met when they were both working in New York, and spent two years living in Japan during the pandemic.

Before they had their first child, they spent six months backpacking across Latin and South America, with Yumeno describing John as the ‘best travelling partner I could ask for’.

“He was just so incredibly witty and really funny, and he always made me laugh like nobody else,” said Yumeno.

“When we were going places, travelling together. We just had an amazing time together.”

John was also a man of many talents. He spoke four languages, played the clarinet and piano, and was a keen and active sportsman.

“There wasn’t really anything he couldn’t do if he set his mind to it,” said his mother, Rose.

Born in Walthamstow, he showed an aptitude for language and writing from a young age.

John decided to pursue a career in journalism and started out at the Maidenhead Advertiser after gaining his qualifications at the University of Sheffield.

His knack for finding exclusives and fearless reporting was soon obvious, with colleagues saying he ‘just seemed to get it’.

His former editor, Martin Trepte, said: “John was an exceptional reporter with a wry sense of humour and an innate ability to dig out those quirky and unusual stories that everybody loves. It was obvious to his former colleagues that he had a very bright future ahead of him so we are all shocked and deeply saddened by his loss.”

After leaving the Advertiser, John went into producing. He worked for Barcroft Studios before going freelance and specialising in true crime documentaries.

His credits included programmes for Netflix, Channel 5 and CBS.

John had a close circle of friends and was ‘much loved’ by his brothers. He loved his daughter ‘more than anything else’.

“He was just a wonderful son,” said Rose. “We really were the happiest family on earth until this illness started two months ago.”

In a statement released after his death, Yumeno said: “John was my best friend and the love of my life it took me 32 years to find. No one made me laugh the way he did and I’ve never loved anyone like I loved him.”

It added: “I have never felt such an outpouring of love and support in my life, showing how much John impacted people and how deeply he was loved by so many.”

The family are arranging a private funeral for close family and friends.

Visit gofund.me/a670daab to view the fundraiser for Yumeno and the couple’s children.

• Read more on the family's call for changes in the TV industry here.

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