BBC Radio 1 legend dead aged 76: Colleagues lead emotional tribute to star who had 14 years at the station

BBC Radio 1 legend DJ Andy Peebles has died aged 76 prompting a wave of tributes for the broadcasting star.

Fellow radio 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.’

Meanwhile, friend and radio executive John Simons 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 also 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!’

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 previously started his radio career in 1973 at BBC Radio Manchester before going onto found independent radio station Piccadilly Radio in Manchester.

Mr Peebles would later go on to 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.’

This is a breaking news story. More to come