This Morning’s Dermot O’Leary pays heartfelt tribute to friend Steve Wright live on air as he’s joined by radio legends

DERMOT O’Leary’s voice cracked and he looked emotional while paying a heartfelt tribute to his friend Steve Wright following his shock death aged 69.

The radio legend’s death was announced yesterday, leaving listeners and work colleagues stunned.

Today’s This Morning opened with the iconic theme tune from Steve’s Radio 2 show, before Dermot paid tribute as a montage of pictures from Steve’s 50 year broadcasting career were shown on screen.

Dermot said: “I’m sure you’ve heard by now but you join us with the sad news of the passing of DJ Steve Wright. Steve was a colleague and a friend of mine. He was one of the greats. He was a master of his craft.

“He took his job exceptionally seriously without ever taking himself too seriously, which I think is a number one rule in this industry.

“And he was just a really decent man always had a kind word for everyone.”

Paul Gambaccini, who worked with Steve at Radio 1 and 2, was on the sofa to shared his memories of the BBC giant.

He said: “Steve understood that, at its best, radio is a club where everyone who listens feels they are a member, and all you have to do to be in the club is tune in.

“And once you’re in you’re into this wonderful happy world. The world of Steve Wright with his posse, with his characters, with the factoids…”

Paul went on to call his old friend a “master” and likened him to an “octopus” in the studio on account of the amount of things he did at one time in the days before everything was digitised.

Noel Edmonds joined the conversation from his home in New Zealand and praised Wright’s natural born talent for communication.

He said: “We have lost one of the greatest exponents of the art of radio, and radio, if done well, is an art form.

“Steve was one of those very small band of people, Wogan was one of them, who was a brilliant communicator and the thing about being a communicator is you a born with it, you can’t fake it.

“The reason why so many people are genuinely distressed by this premature departure is because Steve was a friend, because he could communicate.”

Noel later added: “I mourn the passing of this great talent, this marvellous man. He had integrity, he had sincerity, he had this incredible commitment to the people he would never meet. We are unfortunately coming, I think, to the end of that radio era, so please cherish the Ken Bruce’s and the Tony Blackburn’s and the Gambo’s. Cherish them, because we’re coming to the end of an era.” 

Yesterday Steve’s family said in a moving statement: “It is with deep sorrow and profound regret that we announce the passing of our beloved Steve Wright.

“In addition to his son, Tom, and daughter, Lucy, Steve leaves behind his brother, Laurence and his father Richard.

“Also, much-loved close friends and colleagues, and millions of devoted radio listeners who had the good fortune and great pleasure of allowing Steve into their daily lives as one of the UK’s most enduring and popular radio personalities.

“As we all grieve, the family requests privacy at this immensely difficult time.”

Steve’s last show was a pre-recorded Valentine’s Day edition of Sunday Love Songs.

He had been due to front a new BBC spin-off show as the broadcaster planned to launch four fresh stations.

Steve joined the BBC in the 1970s and spent four decades hosting his beloved afternoon shows.

He also fronted TV programmes for the broadcaster, including Top of the Pops.