Neighbours of broadcast legend Steve Wright expressed their ‘huge shock’ at the star’s ‘very unexpected’ death, as they paid tribute to a ‘genuinely warm and humble man.’
The BBC Radio 2 presenter was found dead at his £2million flat close to Marylebone High Street in Central London on Monday morning.
Paramedics were called to the property following an incident just after 10am.
Tony White, 60, who lived in the same Victorian block as Wright for nine-years said his death was a ‘huge shock’ and ‘very unexpected’.
Wright’s friend of 40 years, publicist Gary Farrow, said he believes Steve ‘died from a broken heart’ after he was ‘devastated’ to lose his popular Radio 2 afternoon slot in 2022.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: Steve lives for the show, he absolutely loved it – and the listeners loved him. My view is that he died from a broken heart.’
The DJ, seen in 2003, was made an MBE for services to radio
Wright, who has died at the age of 69, in a photo taken in 1995
Mr White said: ‘It was a huge shock, very unexpected. He was really well liked and people thought the world of him.
‘Steve and I shared the same plumber and I texted him this morning to say how sad it was that Steve had gone. He messaged back and said he’d been left absolutely devastated and that he hadn’t yet taken in the awful news.
‘Steve was a genuinely warm and humble man. If he saw you coming down the stairs, he’d smile and hold the front door to the block open for you.
‘He’d always have a conversation with people, there wasn’t any trace of stardom about him, he was just a down-to-earth, normal bloke. He didn’t have a driver, he got an Uber everywhere.
‘But as much as he was an extrovert on the radio, away from the mic he was quite a quiet, private person. He kept himself to himself.
‘We have similar surnames so sometimes we’d get each other’s post. Steve would come down, knock on the door and apologise and say ‘I appear to have your letters Mr White!’
‘We’d have a short conversation on the door. I’d do the same if I had his post.
‘When I first moved here I’d no idea he lived upstairs. I saw him in the foyer and had to double-take.’
Mr White said he was at work yesterday afternoon when he saw the news.
Steve Wright, who has died at the age of 69, pictured in his recording studio in 1994
Steve Wright pictured with fellow radio DJ’s Tony Blackburn (left), and Paul Gambaccini (right)
Superstar George Michael pictured with BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Wright
He added: ‘By 10am I’m at work so I didn’t see the ambulance arrive on Monday. The first I knew that Steve had died was when I saw his picture flash up on BBC news at work yesterday. It caught me off-guard somewhat, I couldn’t really believe it.
‘This morning I spoke to the porters who were present when the ambulance arrived. They were still really shaken up by it all.’
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, added: ‘He was a lovely man. I didn’t see him too many times.
‘I think he lived in one of the flats on the upper floors with his daughter.
‘I don’t know if anyone is in the property at the moment. But our thoughts are with his family.’
It comes as former colleague, Liz Kershaw, slammed BBC bosses for their alleged ‘shabby’ treatment of Mr Wright, who she claimed was ‘dumped by the BBC and treated like a tin of beans’.
Her outburst came as staff at Radio 2 were said to be furious at station chief Helen Thomas issuing a statement to pay tribute to the much-loved DJ less than 18 months after axing his popular Afternoon Show and moving him to a Sunday slot.
It emerged that Wright was found dead at his £2million London flat on Monday morning after paramedics revealed they were ‘called to reports of an incident’.
Steve Wright pictured in 1980
His unexpected death is not being treated as suspicious, said police, with a report being prepared for the coroner.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We sent a number of resources to the scene. Very sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.’
A last picture of the legendary broadcaster emerged yesterday showing Wright larking around and taking ‘ironic selfies’ with a friend in New York.
But the BBC faced pressure to answer questions over how they treated him when they axed his afternoon slot after 24 years.
Ms Kershaw, who was let go by BBC 6Music in 2022 after 20 years, said: ‘New management said, ‘We’re going to refresh the schedule’. And they treat people like tins of beans on a shelf.
‘I doubt that there was any follow-up, or any pastoral care, or any support for him.
‘He didn’t need money as he has been one of the highest-paid people on air but I wonder if they considered how it affected him.
‘There are some people for whom fame and attention are their oxygen. And he was one of those – it was absolutely his life.’
Ms Thomas found herself under fire with employees ‘enraged’ at her for saying father-of-two Wright was ‘second to none’.
Sources claimed that Ms Thomas ‘should have just kept her mouth shut’ with them branding her statement as ‘shameless’ and ‘tone deaf’.
