Radio industry mourns the death of a legend after the BBC announced its long-term service Radio DJ Steve Wright has passed away at the age of 69.
Steve, who enjoyed great success with the company and hosted his own radio station for over 30 years, was certainly a man to be admired, and tributes have poured in since news of his death was announced on February 13.
The family’s statement included the following: “It is with deep sadness and sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Steve Wright.
Steve leaves behind his son Tom and daughter Lucy, as well as his brother Laurence and father Richard.
“Also much-loved close friends and colleagues and the millions of loyal radio listeners who have had the good fortune and great pleasure of allowing Steve into their daily lives as one of the UK’s most enduring and popular radio personalities.
“As we all grieve, the family requests privacy at this extremely difficult time.” The cause of death has not yet been reported.
To honor the late DJ, here’s more about Steve Wright, the loved ones he left behind, and his legendary career in broadcasting.
Relating to
The radio DJ’s famous private life, including his ex-wife and children
Although Steve was on air most afternoons for over thirty years, he generally preferred to keep his family life out of the spotlight.
Steve met American journalist Cynthia Robinson while working at a local radio station in Reading in the 1970s.
The couple married soon after and were married for over twenty years, but the romance did not last and their divorce was finalized in 1999.
During their union, Steve and Cynthia welcomed two children. Their firstborn was their son Tom, and a few years later their daughter Lucy was born.
Little is known about their family, but Steve described the moment he realized Cynthia was that family in an interview with The Mirror. “We were watching Mike Leigh’s play Abigail’s Party on TV, and when I looked at her I thought: ‘I love this woman’.”
In another interview, Steve talked about the possibility of finding love again and he and his wife parted ways. The DJ admitted that his commitment to his job makes it difficult to maintain romantic relationships.
“I work on an afternoon show at the BBC and a love songs show at the weekends, and that means I do a lot of interviews, a lot of preparation and a lot of writing. So I have to be working all the time.”
Who was Steve Wright?
Steve had an incredibly successful career as a long-serving radio DJ with the BBC.
He joined the broadcasting company in 1980, where he began presenting his own show on BBC Radio 1. Steve began hosting a Saturday evening show before eventually moving to a morning show.
But he became a household name when he moved to the daytime show and began hosting Steve Wright in the afternoons a year after his BBC stint.
Steve’s personality, eclectic musical tastes, and passion for the job were evident and he instantly became a fan favorite. In 1991 Steve presented the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, a hugely popular format with millions of listeners, but soon left the company altogether.
After a brief stint on Talk Radio, Steve returned to Broadcasting House where he began hosting regular shows again.
His daily show Steve Wright Afternoon was revived in 1999 and the DJ continued his iconic show until 2022, when he was replaced by former Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills.
However, he continued to present Sunday Love Songs until his death. His last show was a pre-recorded Valentine’s Day special.
Outside of radio, Steve has also dabbled in presenting and fronting some talks. Top of the Pops 2 But it’s clear that his one true love is radio.
Tributes to the late, great Steve Wright
Many of Steve’s peers and close friends paid tribute to him following his tragic death.
Speaking on air, Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox said they were all “shocked and devastated by the news”.
Steve’s successor, Scott Mills, released a statement about X. He wrote in part: “She sang everything effortlessly and worked hard to make each show top notch. She was a constant source of inspiration to me on how to make radio that sounded great.”
“When I first started programming on Radio 2, he and I would spend hours reminiscing about his days at Radio 1, and I would listen in fascination to his stories and wisdom. My thoughts are with his family and the colleagues who worked with him over all these years.”
Zoe Ball said: “Wrighty is our radio buddy, our inspiration, our broadcast master, our Dad, our dear friend, always there with his support, his advice, his love and most importantly his laughter.”
“Rest well you wonderful wizard man. Life here won’t be the same without you. I love you my friend my hero x.”