Tributes have been paid to the DJ Steve Wright, for decades the voice of the BBC on afternoon radio, who has died at the age of 69. He joined the broadcaster in the 1980s and went on to host shows on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2. The cause of death has not been disclosed. A statement shared with BBC News by Wright’s family on Tuesday said: “It is with deep sorrow and profound regret that we announce the passing of our beloved Steve Wright. “In addition to his son, Tom, and daughter, Lucy, Steve leaves behind his brother, Laurence, and his father, Richard. “Also, much-loved close friends and colleagues, and millions of devoted radio listeners who 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 immensely difficult time.” Wright joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to Steve Wright in the Afternoon and later fronting the Radio 1 Breakfast Show from 1994 to 1995. After a stint in commercial radio, he joined BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright’s Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs. In 1999, he recreated Steve Wright in the Afternoon, featuring celebrity interviews, showbusiness news and “factoids” trivia. In September 2022, Wright signed off from his final Radio 2 afternoon show. He played out with Queen’s Radio Ga Ga and its final lyrics: “You had your time, you had the power, you’ve yet to have your finest hour.” As the music faded, Wright said: “Those are the closing moments of Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2.” Tim Davie, the BBC director general, paid tribute, saying: “All of us at the BBC are heartbroken to hear this terribly sad news.” He added: “Steve was a truly wonderful broadcaster who has been a huge part of so many of our lives over many decades. “He was the ultimate professional – passionate about the craft of radio and deeply in touch with his listeners.” Ken Bruce, who spent three decades presenting the mid-morning time slot on Radio 2, said he was “totally shocked” to hear about Wright’s death. “We were planning lunch to celebrate the award of his richly deserved MBE. An outstanding and innovative broadcaster whose listeners loved him. What a loss to the world of radio,” he wrote on X. Sara Cox told listeners during her slot on the radio station that her fellow DJs were “absolutely shattered”. She said: “It’s really hard to know what to say about the news of Steve Wright’s passing, except we are all absolutely devastated and shocked and blindsided by this news. “Steve was an extraordinary broadcaster, a really, really kind person. He was witty, he was warm, and he was a huge, huge part of the Radio 2 family, and I know my fellow DJs will be absolutely shattered too. And I imagine you’re feeling sad, too.” Fellow BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills called Wright “one of our greatest ever broadcasters”. The former BBC Radio 2 presenter Simon Mayo said Wright was an “amazing performer” who was “one of the greats”, while Jo Whiley called him “the broadcaster’s broadcaster”, and thanked Wright for his “support and music chat over the years”. Dame Esther Rantzen, who was interviewed by Wright on many occasions, told PA Media: “He created a kind of club which, whether he was interviewing you or whether you were enjoying it as a listener, you looked forward to joining every day. “It is a very rare quality and he made it sound easy.” The broadcaster Zoe Ball wrote on X: “Life won’t be the same without you here. Love you my friend my hero.” Wright, who was made an MBE in the 2024 new year honours list for his services to radio, continued to present Sunday Love Songs each weekend. From October 2023, he hosted the long-running Radio 2 show Pick of the Pops on Saturday afternoons. He fronted numerous specials for the network including Your Ultimate Kylie Song and Steve Wright’s Peter Kay Christmas Special featuring an interview with the comedian. Helen Thomas, the head of BBC Radio 2, said Wright understood the connection and companionship that radio engendered better than anyone “and we all loved him for it”. “He was a consummate professional whose attention to detail was always second to none, and he made his guests laugh, he was fair, and he wanted to showcase them and their work in the best possible light, bringing brilliant stories to our listeners.” Thomas added: “Steve was the first presenter I ever produced, more than 20 years ago, and I remember the pure amazement I felt, sitting opposite this legendary broadcaster whose shows I had listened to and marvelled at whilst growing up in Hull.” Lorna Clarke, the director of BBC Music, described Wright as an “extraordinary broadcaster – someone audiences loved, and many of us looked up to”. “He loved radio, and he loved the BBC, but most of all … he loved his audience.”