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IN PICTURES: JOHN PEEL'S FUNERAL. CLICK LINK ON RIGHT>>
John had been on Radio 1 since it went on air in 1967 and also presented 'Home Truths' on Radio 4. Radio 1's controller Andy Parfitt said "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 and his contribution to modern music and music culture is immeasurable. He will be hugely missed." Friends pay more tributes
| John Peel at Glastonbury |
Steve Harley, frontman of Cockney Rebel and friend of John's paid tribute to him saying "John Peel was first in a line of one. He belonged to one of those very special clubs, those that only have one member. His laconic, deadpan delivery concealed a raving passion for music and the people who make it. There was no other broadcaster like him, nor will there ever be again." "He played very early Cockney Rebel tracks and helped kick-start my career and, years later, played demos by my youngest brother's band, giving them a more than useful boost. That band never actually made it, but many acts given the support of John Peel went all the way to the top. Heart attacks don't happen to people as cool as John Peel, do they?" Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley, who presented coverage of the Glastonbury Festival with Peel, paid tribute to her colleague and close friend saying "John was simply one of my favourite men in the whole world. As a music fan and presenter he was simply an inspiration." |