14 February 2024 , 20:16
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The sudden death of BBC radio presenter Steve Wright is being treated as "unexpected", but not suspicious, according to the police.
The veteran broadcaster, known for his show ' Steve Wright In The Afternoon', passed away this week at 69. Police and paramedics were called to a flat in central London's Marylebone area on Monday morning. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "A man in his 60s was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed."
"The death was unexpected, but is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner." they added. London Ambulance Service confirmed they were called to the address following "reports of an incident". Despite their efforts, Wright was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Wright's colleagues have praised him as "one of the greatest exponents of the art of radio" following the news of his death. The radio DJ was a beloved figure on BBC Radio 1 and then Radio 2 for over four decades, drawing in millions of listeners. On ITV's This Morning, fellow radio presenter Paul Gambaccini remembered how Wright would arrive at the studio hours before his show to ensure he was ready.
Steve Wright, pictured here with the late George Michael, was a broadcasting legend (PA Wire/PA Images)
Tributes are still pouring in for the late BBC DJ following his death (PA Archive/PA Images)He shared: "He knew what he was going to do (and) when and that's when the greats like Noel (Edmonds) and Chris Evans shone. They made it sound like it was off the cuff, but it was really well planned." He also revealed how dedicated Steve was, saying: "And Steve stayed afterwards, this was his life. He gave us his life for 44 years, five days a week and then six with Love Songs."
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Gambaccini was taken aback by the news as he had just spoken to Wright on Saturday and had sent him two emails on Tuesday, not knowing his friend had passed away. Wright took over Gambaccini's long-standing BBC Radio 2 show Pick Of The Pops last year.
Noel Edmonds, who like Wright enjoyed a long career across BBC radio, described Wright as a "brilliant communicator" as he video called into This Morning from New Zealand. He expressed: "We have lost one of the greatest exponents of the art of radio. And radio, if done well, is an art form."
Meanwhile, Nicky Campbell, who worked with Wright for many years, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's where he belonged. He was absolutely born to be in a studio, it's where he thrived. It was his natural habitat." He added: "His heart soared when he was on the air and that was contagious. Our hearts soared when we listened."
Chris Evans, another veteran of Radio 1 and 2 before moving to Virgin Radio, compared Wright's impact on afternoons to Sir Terry Wogan's on breakfast shows. Wake Up To Wogan on Radio 2, which ran from 1993 to 2009, was the most listened-to radio show in the UK.
Wright was last on air on Sunday, presenting a pre-recorded special Valentine's Day edition of his Love Songs programme on Radio 2. He first joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to host Steve Wright In The Afternoon a year later until 1993.
He then hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast show for a year until 1995, and completed a stint at commercial radio stations before returning to BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright's Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs.
In 1999, he brought back Steve Wright In The Afternoon every weekday on Radio 2, with celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia featured in his Factoids segment. He stepped down in September 2022 but continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2. Former BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills took over the afternoon slot as part of the station's schedule shake-up. Wright was made an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to radio.