Kay McGrath shares news of fiance’s shock death in India

Former veteran newsreader Kay McGrath has been left devastated after her fiance and “soulmate” died suddenly while the two were on a trip together in India.

Kay McGrath with fiance Richard Moore in India. Picture: Instagram

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A trip of a lifetime has turned to terrible tragedy for much-loved TV personality Kay McGrath.

The 68-year-old McGrath was leading a tour through India when her fiance Richard Moore suffered a heart attack and died.

His shocking passing has left McGrath – one of Queensland’s most respected journalists as well as a long-term child protection advocate – heartbroken.

Announcing the devastating news on Instagram on Saturday, she said: “My darling fiance and soulmate Richard has passed away after suffering a sudden and totally unexpected heart attack in Agra, India,” she wrote.

“Local doctors did all they could to save him.

“The day before we’d shared such a special time at the Taj Mahal – designed to be ‘heaven on earth’ which gives me some comfort.

Kay McGrath and Richard Moore were engaged in 2016. Pics Tara Croser.

“I’ll always treasure that and all the wonderful memories we created together over many years.

“Richard was so loved and valued by family and friends.

“He leaves a huge hole in our hearts. A kind, smart, generous, wickedly funny and genuinely good man – we all miss you so much darling.”

Just days before the tragedy when McGrath and Moore landed in India, she told her Instagram followers: “Delhi has smacked us in the face with its sights and sounds, smells and deep complicated history … We’re already falling in love – so many adventures ahead. We’re feeling very alive and oh so privileged!”

The couple enjoyed a degustation dinner at The Lodhi hotel in New Delhi before boarding a bus to Agra, where they visited the iconic white marble mausoleum, Taj Mahal.

McGrath was hosting a group tour for Imagine Holidays Australia and had been looking forward to it for months.

The tour has continued on from Agra, without her.

Moore, a widely respected semi-retired businessman, died on Thursday morning.

His daughter, Perri Moore, said there were “no words for the pain”.

“This world has tragically lost a truly remarkable man. My beloved Dad, Richard. My rock, my hero and my biggest love and support.”

Staying behind in Agra with McGrath are good friends Chris Allen, formerly a journalist with A Current Affair, and his wife Cate Allen-Ducat, a prominent Brisbane wedding planner.

“We are all stunned but we are glad we are here with Kay,” Mr Allen told the Sunday Mail exclusively.

“Kay and Richard had such a special time at the Taj Mahal, we all did, then this, it’s hard to believe it’s real.

“We are just working out what’s next. Kay – like the amazing person she is – is insisting we carry on (with the tour), saying we must for her and Richard’s sake.”

Mr Allen and Mrs Allen-Ducat spent 12 hours with McGrath at a hospital in Agra while doctors tried to save Moore.

“Remarkably, there was a cardiologist on the tour from Townsville who we asked to go to the hospital as well,” Mr Allen said.

“He assured Kay the local doctors did everything they could. I’m glad we’re here for her – I can’t imagine going through that with no support.”

Bravely, McGrath went back to the Taj Mahal on Saturday morning with her friends.

“We revisited the Taj Mahal and that seemed to give Kay some comfort,” Mr Allen said.

“It was the last place we all visited before Richard fell ill.

“That place truly has a mystical feel to it – quite remarkable.”

Moore and McGrath have been engaged since 2016 and she once joked they had one of the longest engagements ever.

Kay McGrath and Richard Moore in 2014.

They have homes in Brisbane’s inner west and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, where Moore enjoyed gardening and a quieter lifeaway from the city.

In an interview with the Sunday Mail in November 2024, McGrath, a mother of two adult sons, said she was so thankful to have Moore in her life.

“Richard is one year older, next year (2025) is a big number for him, and he’s offered very generously, in fact I told him, and he’s going to tread water for 12 months and let me catch up and we’ll celebrate 70 together,” she said.

“I want to have a destination celebration with family, not too far, not Europe.

“Richard and I have found a rhythm and I’m so grateful I found him, we found each other.”

McGrath, who left her news reading job with Channel 7 on her own terms in 2020, has since contributed to the network’s Weekender program.

She was awarded an OAM in 2017 for her contribution to child protection and journalism, and remains keenly involved in charity work as an ambassador for Act for Kids and patron of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

She also is a member of the State Government Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council, and in 2019 was recognised asa Queensland Great.

Originally published as Kay McGrath shares news of fiance’s shock death in India