Steve Wright’s friend has claimed he died ‘of a broken heart’ after he was dropped from his BBC Radio 2 afternoon show. The veteran broadcaster died this week at the age of 69, his family confirmed in a statement shared on Tuesday.
Wright was found dead in his Marylebone flat after paramedics were called over an ‘incident’ but police are not treating his death as suspicious. No cause of death has been announced but it was reported that his radio colleagues had been aware of his ill health.
Tributes have since been pouring in for Wright, with his co-workers, including Nicki Chapman, tearing up live on air as they remembered him.
Celebrity PR Gary Farrow, who had been friends with Wright for 40 years, was among those paying tribute and suggested he died from a ‘broken heart.’
Farrow said Wright was left ‘broken hearted’ after his long-running Radio 2 afternoon show was axed in 2022 after 23 years on air and was replaced by Scott Mills.
He said: ‘Steve lived for that show, he absolutely loved it — and the listeners loved him. ‘My view is that he died from a broken heart. I’ll never understand the decision to let him go.’