BBC Radio 1 legend DJ Andy Peebles has died aged 76 prompting a wave of tributes for the broadcasting star.
Fellow presenter Mike Read shared the news on X this morning, saying he was ‘devastated’ about the passing of his ‘chum’.
Mr Read stated: ‘Devastated to hear the news about our chum Andy Peebles. He was about to join us at Heritage. We joined Radio One together. Knew his music & inside out.
‘Raise your bat & enjoy a long rest in the pavilion. We lunched recently with DLT & Adrian Juste. Great innings.’
Friend and radio executive John Simons also wrote: ‘So sad to hear the news about Andy Peebles passing. I’ll miss our long conversations about football and soul music, of which he was far more knowledgeable. There’s going to be a Quiet Storm in heaven tonight. RIP Andy.’
Fans have since taken to social media to share their condolences.
One said: ‘So, farewell Andy Peebles. Piccadilly Radio & BBC Radio 1. From those golden days when mainstream radio stations knew who their audience were.’
Another added: ‘I’ve just heard the sad passing of Former Radio 1 DJ Andy Peebles. He famously was the last person to interview John Lennon hours before he was shot in New York and was also an Avid Lover of Soul Music! RIP Andy!’
Andy Peebles joined BBC Radio 1 in 1978 where he presented the Monday-Thursday evening show from 8-10pm
Tony Blankburn and Andy Peebles pictured at the Capital Gold 25th Anniversary Party in the London Hippodrome in November 2013
John Lennon (1940-1980) from The Beatles posed with wife Yoko Ono and DJ Andy Peebles at the Hit Factory recording studio in New York on 6th December 1980. The singer was shot dead two days after this photo was taken
Andy Peebles joined BBC Radio 1 in 1978 where he presented the Monday-Thursday evening show from 8-10pm.
He had started his radio career in 1973 at BBC Radio Manchester before going on to found independent radio station Piccadilly Radio in Manchester.
Mr Peebles would later host 15 editions of Top of the Pops.
The late DJs career highlights include his interview with Beatles star John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which aired 1980 on BBC Radio 1 – just two days before the Liverpudlian was murdered in the doorway of his New York residence.
Reflecting on the experience in an interview with CBS in 2020, Mr Peebles said: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life and I’d grown-up not just idolising him but the group and everything they’d done…I felt like he was on top of everything. They seemed very, very happy.’
Andy Peebles’ last TV appearance was on CBS back in 2020.
However, he is still due to appear in an upcoming documentary about John Lennon’s last decade. Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade will hit cinemas later this year.
Mr Peebles had previously started his radio career in 1973 at BBC Radio Manchester before going onto found independent radio station Piccadilly Radio in Manchester
Photo of radio DJ Andy Peebles wearing tinsel and a party hat, in around 1975
Andy Peebles attends the funeral of Jimmy Savile at St Anne’s Cathedral, Leeds, Britain on 09 Nov 2011. Mourners packed into the Cathedral and lined the streets
Beyond DJing, Mr Peebles was a renowned cricket commentator, appearing regularly in fixtures for the BBC.
Born in London, he had attended the Bishop’s Stortford College public school before starting out as a nightclub DJ in the late 1960s.
He was resident DJ at the Chelsea Village disco in Glen Fern Road, in the early 1970s.
Under the sweet photo shared by Mr Read, one person commented: ‘Great Stalwart of North West Radio including Piccadilly Radio in its pomp. Knew his stuff & played great music across all genres. RIP.’
Another said: ‘Listening to his show in November 1980, he introduced me to this band called U2. I still have his voice on a separate mixtape recorded Christmas 1981 where his closing song was Dan Fogwlberg’s “Same Old Land Syne” and listen to it every year. RIP Andy.’
And a third added: ‘V sad news. An erudite and learned DJ on music programmes and a v accomplished sports reporter as I recall. Simply v good at his job….God rest him.’
Fellow DJ Tony Blackburn also shared his own tribute. He said: ‘So sorry to hear that fellow DJ from radio1 when I was there Andy Peebles has passed away. He was a lovely man and a great broadcaster, very sad news. R.I.P. Andy.’
