Radio broadcaster Andy Peebles has died at the age of 76

Former BBC and commercial radio broadcaster Andy Peebles has died at the age of 76.

He passed away unexpectedly yesterday morning.

Andy was best known for his 13 years at BBC Radio 1, between 1978 and 1992, which included hosting Top of the Pops over a five year period.

He was born in London but his studies took him to Bournemouth, where he started DJing in local pubs and clubs whilst doing a national diploma in hotel management. His love for music and radio then took him up to the north west of England.

He started his radio career at BBC Radio Manchester but quickly went on to be part of the launch line-up at Piccadilly Radio in 1974.

After Radio 1, Andy went back to local radio where he mixed his love of cricket with radio to become a cricket commentator. He spent many years hosting mornings on BBC Radio Lancashire, then went on to be part of the original line-up at Smooth FM in 2004.

He stayed with Smooth presenting the Late Show until Global’s purchase of GMG in 2013, when his Soul Train show, which was revived from his BBC Radio 1 days, transferred to Gold.

A broadcaster for over 50 years, Andy has also worked at BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Manchester, and written several books.

He was inducted to the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2011, and presented with his fellowship by the late John Myers.

Anyone who’s had the pleasure of a conversation with Andy will be sure to have heard about his interview with John Lennon, which took place in New York just two days before he was murdered.

It was a career highlight for Andy, who was a life-long fan of the Beatles. The interview covered various aspects of Lennon’s life, his music, and his thoughts on his time away from the spotlight, making it an emotionally significant piece of radio.

In 2017, Andy enjoyed the celebrations for 50 years of BBC Radio 1, and appeared on the RadioToday podcast looking back at his career and talking about his days at the BBC.