Radio 2 listeners in tears as Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs returns days after DJ’s death

Radio 2 presenter Steve Wright died at the age of 69 this week, with his son Tom revealing he had flown to the UK from Los Angeles to care for his dad in his final weeks

Steve Wright gave his BBC colleague a four-word warning (

Image: PA)

Radio 2 listeners were reduced to tears this weekend as Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs returned to air days after the presenter’s death.

Steve died suddenly at the age of 69 on Tuesday February 13. The news came as a huge shock to his listeners and BBC colleagues alike, with many of his bereft co-stars breaking into tears live on air amid an outpouring of tributes to one of the most-loved presenters at the station.

The tributes continued as a special episode of Steve’s Sunday Love Songs aired this weekend. The late presenter’s friend Liza Tarbuck took over hosting the episode in which she encouraged fans to get in touch with memories of Steve, including those who’d had a dedication on his weekend show for a wedding, birthday or key moment in their life.

An emotional Liza opened the show: “Good morning to you we are live in Wogan House. This is is Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs without the chief… without our genius friend. So while you’re getting a tissue I think it would be lovely if you lit him a candle.

“I make no apologies if I get upset during the next two hours and you shouldn’t either,” added Liza as she promised to play nothing but Steve’s favourite tracks and to ‘pepper’ the show with messages from listeners about the radio legend.

Steve joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 before moving on to Radio 2 (

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Getty Images) Steve’s son Tom said he returned to the UK to care for his dad in his final weeks (

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PA)

Liza was subsequently flooded with messages from listeners fondly remembering Steve’s humour and thanking him for years of ‘easy-listening’. Many fans said their Sundays would not be the same without him.

“There will be many tears being shed this morning across the land – we have all lost an old friend,” one fan of Steve’s posted to social media. “Sunday Love Songs without Steve Wright is incredibly sad but Liza Tarbuck is doing him proud. To Steve’s family & friends I send love & condolences. To his army of loyal fans, aren’t we lucky we were here to hear his amazing talent & enjoy his love for radio. Sleep well Steve,” added another.

Throughout the two hour show, Liza read out texts from couples who had spoken with Steve on their wedding days, anniversaries and other happy milestones.

Ahead of the episode, Radio 2 played Steve’s favourite song – The Smith’s Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want – which had loyal listeners weeping before the special episode had even begun.

On Friday the BBC aired four episodes of Top of the Pops that were hosted by Steve – including his final ever broadcast in October 1989. The shows featured performances by Sir Cliff Richard, Madonna, Wham! duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, Whitney Houston, The Buggles, Cher and Billy Joel.

Steve joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to host Steve Wright In The Afternoon a year later, where he stayed until 1993.

He then fronted the Radio 1 Breakfast show for a year until 1995, and completed a stint at commercial radio stations before returning to 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 every weekday on Radio 2, with celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia featured in his Factoids segment, before stepping down in September 2022 – he continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2. In a schedule shake-up, former BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills took over the afternoon slot.

Wright’s death was being treated as “unexpected”, but not suspicious. Paramedics and officers had been called to a flat in the Marylebone area of central London on Monday morning. “The death was unexpected, but is not being treated as suspicious,” the Met Police said. “A report will be prepared for the coroner.”

Last night Steve’s son Tom spoke out for the first time about his loss and revealed that he flew from Los Angeles to London to care for his father in his final weeks.

In an emotional social media post, Tom said: “God rest your soul Dad, and thank you for all your for all the kind words from all the lives that he touched and people that loved him. It’s gonna be an intense few days, so catching up and hearing from old friends and new would mean more than anything else right now too…

“Rough as it may be, I thank the Gods I’m sober, as this would have straight up killed me even a couple of years ago after losing Mum over the pandemic in the same way without getting to see him before he passed after flying back to take care of the old blighter. Still, I will cherish every memory we made, and it’s not like I don’t have a few shows to be working through whenever I miss his voice, though tears me up too much now to consider…

“But it means the world hearing from so many beloved friends of his and mine and I only hope to make him proud; and build on his legacy with kindness and love anyways I can! Love you all and miss you already dad. #ConnectionAsCure,” alongside a broken heart emoji.

Earlier in the week, Steve’s brother revealed the DJ ‘hid health battles’ from his family, and said it was likely his ‘unhealthy’ lifestyle contributed to his passing.

Laurence Wright, 65, also slammed claims the BBC’s decision to Steve him from his long-running Radio 2 Afternoon Show contributed to his death, revealing the opposite was true and his brother was ‘grateful’ for a rest.

Speaking to the MailOnline, Laurence said: “He was aware that he could have looked after himself better, in his lifestyle choices. Obviously we all wish he had.

“It’s like anyone who doesn’t look after themselves over an extended period. The normal stuff – diet, nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress – he was a very stoic kind of guy as well so if he had something wrong with him and he had to go to have some treatment or go to the doctors, he wouldn’t talk about it.

“He was the kind of guy who would just carry on, take care of it, not talk about it, not make a big thing, that kind of stoic sort of attitude. That’s just how he was – that probably didn’t help really, because he wouldn’t have help or take advice necessarily.”