Humphrys was born in Splott, a poor working class district of central Cardiff, and was the younger brother of journalist and television presenterJohn Humphrys. Humphrys was one of five children born to Winifred Mary, a hairdresser and Edward George Humphrys, a self-employed French polisher. Encouraged to do his homework, he passed the eleven plus exam and became a pupil at Cardiff High School, then a grammar school. After university, he became a newspaper journalist, working on various publications until he joined the Cardiff-based Western Mail. He then joined BBC Radio Wales in 1978, and then joined BBC Wales television's team as an investigative reporter most often beside his brother on Week In Week Out, where his reports included an early investigation of the AIDS epidemic developing in the UK. From the early 1990s Humphrys began reporting on sport, a passion of his. Humphrys and his then colleague, former Welsh Rugby Union legend J.J. Williams, presented the first BBC pre-match club house show from Cardiff Rugby Club before a Welsh Rugby international – Humphrys added Taffs Well RFC for atmosphere, who got a bittoo drunk through the programme. In 2004 he was given a lifetime achievement award by BBC Wales at the Welsh Sports Personality of the Year awards. After suffering from pains in his shoulders in late 2007, he undertook an X-Ray examination under instruction from his doctor in May 2008, which revealed he was suffering from lung cancer, despite never having smoked. Humphrys confirmed his retirement in June 2008, before undertaking an interview with The Mail on Sunday in which he discussed his medical diagnosis. Before he died he completed his autobiographyNot a Proper Journalist. Humphrys was married with three children, and lived in Cardiff. BBC Wales Today made Humphrys' death their lead story on 19 August 2008, with his former colleague and broadcast trainee Jamie Owen leading the section, with a personal tribute by colleague Vincent Kane. In 2009, local ice hockey side, the Cardiff Devils held a Nostalgia Night against the Hull Stingrays honouring Bob Humphrys' work with BBC Sport and the coverage of the Devils in the early 1990s.
