Gerry Ryan’s voice will return to RTÉ 2FM in an hour-long special TODAY

Almost a decade after his death, 2FM listeners will hear the voice of the late Gerry Ryan once again today.

RTÉ has announced that it will air a tribute to the beloved broadcaster to mark the station's 40th anniversary this morning. Ryan passed away in 2010 aged 53. 2FM will use clips from its audio archive to bring him back to life for the hour-long special. It will be introduced by his daughter, 2FM entertainment correspondent Lottie Ryan. "Gerry's back ......the Ryan Line is open. ...1850-715 -922," 2FM said as it announced the news, reviving Gerry's catchphrase.

"Listeners will be hearing Gerry's real voice talking as if he is here with us now," a source said. "It's really uncanny."

RTÉ sought the permission of the Ryan family before going ahead with the tribute, reports the Irish Sun. Speaking at the launch of the new 2FM schedule yesterday at Dublin's Devlin hotel, Lottie admitted that she was a little taken aback by the idea at first. Acknowledging her father's impact at the station, she said she thought he might have jumped ship to RTÉ Radio One had he lived longer. "Things are so different now, I think his show would be a different beast. 2FM wouldn't be the 2FM it is today if dad was still alive." Ryan was found dead at his Dublin home in April of 2010. He had contacted his colleagues at RTÉ the previous night to inform them that he wasn't feeling well and that he wouldn't make it in to work that morning. An inquest found that the cause of death was a heart attack that was "likely triggered" by cocaine found in his system. The Ryan Line special will air on RTÉ 2FM at 9am and will also be available online on the RTÉ radio player.