Radio Veteran Juanita Melson, also famous as the voice of the announcements in Singapore’s MRT stations and trains from 1996 and 2008, died on Thursday.

Melson, who was 72, also worked as a disc jockey for Rediffusion – Singapore’s first subscription-based radio station, from 1974 to 2003.

She influenced many local radio personalities during her stint at Rediffusion.

Kiss92 DJ John Klass, in a Facebook post, recalled that she hired him as a radio DJ in 1991, when he had just completed national service, and had no experience.

He said: “She trained me and guided me in the fundamentals of broadcast presentation and the technicalities of radio. Her legacy lives on in many of the countless lives she’s touched just like mine, through nurturing radio talent and also through her resonant and distinct voice that is still heard throughout Singapore.”

One FM DJ Mark van Cuylenburg, better known as the Flying Dutchman, who knew her from their time at Rediffusion, praised Melson for the clarity and calmness of her voice

Lush 99.5 FM DJ Chris Ho, who also knew Nelson from their time together at Rediffusion, remembered how she submitted his show for the Australasian Broadcasting Awards and he won Best Asia-Pacific Radio Personality in 1987.

SMRT’s vice-president for corporate information and communications, Patrick Nathan, said the company was sad that Melson had died. Her recordings, he added, still play on the Bukit Panjang LRT.