Mark Pilgrim is a South African media personality who has enjoyed a successful career as a radio and television presenter, voice-over artist, motivational speaker and author.
He is best known for his role as a presenter on popular shows such as Big Brother South Africa, Big Brother Africa and Power of 10.
He was also a cancer survivor who shared his inspiring story with others and raised awareness about the disease. He passed away on March 5, 2023, at the age of 53, after battling stage four lung cancer.
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- Full name: Mark Pilgrim
- Nickname: Baldy
- Date of birth: September 20, 1969
- Age: 53 years old (at time of death)
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Kent, England
- Nationality: South African
- Occupation: Radio and television presenter, voice-over artist, motivational speaker, author
- Height: 1.83 m
- Parents: None
- Brothers and sisters: Two brothers
- Spouse: Nicole Torres (married 2007; separated 2020)
- Children: Two daughters, Tayla-Jean and Alyssa
- Relationship status: Engaged to Adrienne Watkins at time of death
- Net worth: $3.5 million
Early life and education
Mark Pilgrim, 53 at the time of his death, was born on September 20, 1969, in Kent, England. He grew up in a small village called Allhallows, where he lived in a trailer (or mobile home) with his family.
He always dreamed of something bigger than where he was and wanted to be a radio DJ when he grew up. He moved to South Africa at the age of 9 with his parents, while his father and brothers stayed in England.
He attended Sasolburg High School, where he completed his secondary education in 1986. He then studied at Wits and UNISA, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in Industrial Psychology and Business Economics.
Personal life
Mark Pilgrim is married to Nicole Torres, whom he met in 2004 and married in 2007 on a tropical beach in Mauritius.
They have two daughters, Tayla-Jean and Alyssa, born in 2008 and 2010 respectively. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 2020, after 13 years together.
Pilgrim later became engaged to Adrienne Watkins, who was by his side until his last breath. Pilgrim is a cancer survivor and was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1988 when he was just 18 years old.
He underwent surgery and chemotherapy and was declared in remission. He also suffered a heart attack in 2008, which left 20% of his heart damaged.
He had a stent inserted in his artery and recovered from the incident. In 2022, he revealed that his cancer had returned and he had stage four lung cancer, which had spread to his femur, base of his spine and lymph nodes.
He documented his journey on social media and received support from fans and friends. He also contracted COVID-19 in June 2022 but overcame it. He passed away on March 5, 2023, at home, surrounded by his loved ones.
Career
Mark Pilgrim started his career at the university radio station Voice of Wits in the 80s. He joined 5FM in 1995 where he hosted various shows and became a popular DJ.
He left 5FM in 2003 and joined 94.7 Highveld Stereo in Johannesburg. He also hosted a chart show airing on two radio stations at the same time, KFM and 94.7, in 2007.
He retired in 2014 but returned to the new Hot 91.9FM station in Johannesburg. He then moved to Hot 102.7FM in 2021, where he worked until his death.
He has won several awards for his radio work, including the MTN Radio Award for Best Weekend Radio Programme in South Africa in 2015, the Liberty Radio Award for Best Daytime Radio Programme in South Africa in 2019, and was inducted into the South African Radio Awards Hall of Fame in 2021.
He also had a successful television career, hosting 10 shows. He is best known for hosting both seasons of Big Brother South Africa, the first season of Big Brother Africa and MNET’s game show Power of 10.
He is also the host of shows such as New Moves, Retail Therapy, Face 2 Face, Sex, Blue Wave and What’s Brewing.
He is also a regular DJ at corporate and nightclub events, a voiceover artist for radio and television commercials, an MC for formal events, and an inspirational speaker sharing his story of overcoming cancer and pursuing his dreams.
He has also written several books, including Dive into Python, a tutorial on the Python programming language, and Every Exit, a memoir about his life and career.
Net worth
Mark Pilgrim has an estimated net worth of $3.5 million, which he earned from his radio, television, and other ventures.
Death
Mark Pilgrim died on March 5, 2023, at the age of 53, after losing his battle with stage four lung cancer.
He died peacefully at home, with his fiancée Adrienne Watkins by his side. His death was announced by his radio station Hot 102.7FM and confirmed by CEO Lloyd Madurai.
His family thanked the public for being a part of his journey, loving, honoring and always supporting him. His death was mourned by fans, friends, colleagues and the South African media. He is remembered as a warrior, a legend, a hero and an inspiration.
Argumentative
Mark Pilgrim was involved in a controversy in 1992 when he was a sophomore at Cornell University and a part-time employee at Cornell Information Technologies.
He and another student, David Blumenthal, embedded a computer virus, MBDF, into three games and uploaded them from Cornell’s computer lab to a public server at Stanford University.
The virus destroyed Macintosh computers worldwide. The virus originated at Cornell, and Pilgrim and Blumenthal were arrested and charged with computer sabotage.
They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 520 hours of community service, forfeiture of seized computer equipment, and restitution to Cornell and other parties involved.
They also faced disciplinary hearings and were barred from continuing as Cornell students. Pilgrim later regretted his actions and said he had learned from his mistakes.
Social media
- Instagram Name: None
- Twitter Username: @N/A
Book
- Dive into Python
- Dive into Python 3
- Every exit
