RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Media Legendary Radio DJ John Peel dies

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Veteran BBC broadcaster John Peel has died at the age of 65, while on holiday in Peru.

Peel, whose radio career spanned 40 years, was on a working holiday in the city of Cuzco with his wife Sheila when he suffered a heart attack.

He was BBC Radio 1's longest-serving DJ and in recent years had also presented Home Truths on Radio 4. Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt said Peel's contribution to modern music and culture was "immeasurable".

He added: "John Peel was a broadcasting legend. I am deeply saddened by his death as are all who work at Radio 1. "John's influence has towered over the development of popular music for nearly four decades.

BBC director general Mark Thompson said: "We are all very shocked and saddened by the news of John's death.

"He was one of the giants of radio and will be missed, not just by everyone at the BBC, but by millions of listeners of all ages."

Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley, who presented coverage of the Glastonbury Festival with Peel, paid tribute to her colleague and close friend.

She said: "John was simply one of my favourite men in the whole world - as a music fan and presenter he was simply an inspiration."

Peel was born in Heswall, near Liverpool, and after completing his military service in Britain in 1962, went to the US where he began working for a radio station in Dallas. He joined Radio 1 at the launch in 1967, and established himself with the late night programme Top Gear. He became one of the first DJs to give exposure to punk, reggae, hip-hop, before they crossed over into the mainstream. Peel's programme built up a reputation around the world, and in addition to his Radio 1 programme, he could also be heard on the BBC's World Service.

James Dean Bradfield, lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers, paid tribute to Peel.

He told BBC News Online: "It was because of him I got to hear some of the most obscure but influential music I ever heard.

"He was a lifeline to hearing music I would never have heard otherwise. The service he provided was getting to hear music that you couldn't buy in Cardiff. He was a portal to a whole new world."

Gruff Rhys, of the Super Furry Animals, said the band was in "shock".

"He was very inclusive of all kinds of music, very open-minded, and introduced a lot of diverse music to the public.

"He championed Welsh language music and for years was the only DJ on national radio who was willing to embrace it.

"He was very wary of trends such as Britpop, he was introducing people to drum 'n' bass and techno, things that were going on outside of the media."

After announcing Peel's death on Radio 1, the station played his favourite song, Teenage Kicks, by the Undertones. Michael Bradley, bass player for the Undertones, spoke of his shock on learning of Peel's death.

He said: "He was a very funny, very warm man and we will always be grateful for what he did for The Undertones.

"Personally, I find it incredible what he did for the band and we always got huge pride out of the fact that he said Teenage Kicks was his favourite single.

"He always had his finger on the pulse of the music industry and the fact that Radio 1 played the Undertones, the White Stripes and the Strokes today showed just how relevant he remained throughout his career."

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Nowhereman said:
I hated his show,it was boring as fuck!
His taste in music was shite as well!

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The funeral of legendary DJ John Peel has taken place, attended by thousands of mourners from around the world.

Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey and The White Stripes were among mourners, while Sir Elton John left a wreath of yellow roses.

Applause greeted Peel's coffin as it departed St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to his favourite song, Teenage Kicks by the Undertones.

Peel died last month after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Peru. His wife, Sheila, was with him when he died.

With Sir Elton's wreath was a card reading: "Thank you for all the great music. You were a hero for so many. Much love, Elton."

Fellow DJs Mark Radcliffe, Annie Nightingale and Paul Gambaccini - who gave a tribute - were also at the service, along with singer Billy Bragg. BBC Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt was also there, along with the BBC's deputy director general, Mark Byford. Some 1,000 people were inside the cathedral, while up to 2,000 others listened to the service outside via loudspeakers.

Peel's real name of John Ravenscroft was given on the order of service, which contained a quote from the reggae band Misty in Roots. It read:

"When we trod this land, we walk for one reason... to try to help another man think for himself. The music of our hearts is roots music, which recalls history, because without the knowledge of your history, you cannot determine your destiny: the music about the present, because if you are not conscious about the present, you're like a cabbage in this society."

Gambaccini started his tribute by talking about Peel's producer and friend, John Walters, who died in 2001.

"Sheila told me that just half an hour before you passed away, you said, I miss John Walters, I wish I'd spent more time with him when he was alive. And now you are with him, probably talking about us, talking about the time I got up off the table at Ronnie Scott's, taking the tablecloth with me."

He added: "You broke more artists then any broadcaster in this history of radio.

"Every artist once needed a John Peel - some of the people who paid tributes to you were Pink Floyd, Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin and Elton John."

Alan Ravenscroft told the congregation of his "extraordinary brother".

He said: "John was always the same person. The response to John's death has been absolutely overwhelming. It made me think of Princess Diana to be honest with you."

The service ended with clips of Peel talking about his life - before the Liverpool FC anthem You'll Never Walk Alone faded into Teenage Kicks.

Peel could be heard saying: "I'm fabulously lucky, I've got everything I wanted as a kid, a house in the country, an astounding wife, and a job on the radio. I don't know what could be done to improve it.

"If I drop dead tomorrow, I'll have nothing to complain about - except that there'll be another Fall album out next year."

A private family service followed the funeral.

Tributes poured in from thousands of listeners as well as musicians and fellow broadcasters when Peel died.

"We have taken great comfort in recent weeks from the messages of support that we have received from around the world," Peel's widow Sheila and their four children said in a statement. John was loved by so many for a multitude of reasons. To us he was a loving husband, father and above all friend. We are going to miss him terribly."

Peel joined Radio 1 upon its launch in 1967, and championed the careers of countless up-and-coming acts, gaining a global reputation through his work on the BBC's World Service. Bands even played for Peel at his home near Great Finborough, near Stowmarket, Suffolk. He later swapped tales of family life on Radio 4's Home Truth's programme.

"Every time I think of John I'm reduced to tears at the thought of never sharing a Glastonbury night with him again - that I can never turn on the radio and through his show be part of his world again," said BBC Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley, who was at the service.

"I adored John and can't believe how much it hurts to have lost him. He was a one-off who inspired me greatly in the ways of music and family. I miss him now and always will."

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