Steve Wright has died.

[ginasevern]

I had no idea he was ill. Condolences to his family.

Steve Wright was probably upset at being let go , but you would be and he always sounded upbeat on the Saturday show he took over. He hadn't been banished forever and I'm sure any disappointment was short lived. It must have been a shock at first , but that kind of job isn't forever and I'm sure Greatest hits radio would have snapped him up if he had followed Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo !
The newer generation are not that young and will be replaced too one day.
His health wasn't great the last few years I read today , but blaming the bbc is a bit much as surely he wouldn't have carried on with the other shows if it had been completely acrimonious and bitter. Although I know nothing of course and there is bound to be speculation on SM as there always is when a well known person sadly dies unexpectedly.

I have no idea why the powers that be seem so desperate to push Richie Anderson as “someone”. He’s dull as ditchwater.

Steve's brother has said today in an interview for a newspaper that it was his "lifestyle, diet and nutrition" that led to his death. So probably heart attack then. He was over 18st but had lost 2 in recent years. He'd given up crisps, sweets and chocolate.

Careful. You’ll get told off for speculating.

I read that too. A coronary incident is surely fairly likely. An attending doctor might well assume that based on medical history but not be able to confirm cause of death immediately.

@FancyJapflack I wholeheartedly agree with that. I know Zoe ball is nice to everyone but really???? It's painful

Ritchie always sounds bored to me!

I agree, Its cruel, not only to a person just doing her job, but also Scott Mills. He must feel awful. Blaming someone for another persons death just because they made a decision is just cruel and wrong. Steve Wright was an innovator in his time. From what has been said about him, he was very supportive of other DJ's and new talent. He stayed at the BBC, and his brother said that he needed to take a break from doing that kind of workload every day, so maybe he needed the push. He looked very unwell in his later years.

I like Scott Milks show and enjoy listening to it. He was nervous doing the show yesterday.

I like Scott Mills’ show too.

I'm not sure about Scott Mills. He comes across as either bored or very sarcastic. Love Vernon,Sara and Rylan. Not fussed about Zoe :/

Someone - I think it was on Mumsnet - pointed out how Zoe Ball gasps for breath every time she inhales and I haven’t been able
to unhear it since.

Yes I love the same- Vernon has really hit the ground running I feel with the 9.30 slot and I love Sara Cox. Not fussed with Scott. They should have gone totally different I feel. Someone said he was better on Radio 1, but I never listened to him on there so don't know.

Sara Cox does my head in. I prefer Vernon Kay to Ken Bruce. Scott Mills was great on Radio 1. I don't get to hear him much on Radio 2 but I like him. I don't like Liza Tarbuck as a presenter but I do like her choice of music. I used to love Zoe Ball but the breathless gasping is irritating. I don't get the annoyance with Richie. We all like different things.

I'm also very uncomfortable to see "blame" attached to the BBC executive who made the decision. It had to end some time and he was 69 and had had a tremendously long career with the BBC.

Given the length of his career and its success, personally I think they could have just let him carry on until he was ready to give up. This week has shown how much his afternoon show meant to so many, the decision felt unnecessary to me at the time and all the more so now, with so many people talking about how much they loved it. I can't imagine listener figures had dropped much, if at all. IMHO the decision to get rid of the afternoon show was pure ageism.

@Friedchickenrocks @NerrSnerr @LindorDoubleChoc What exactly has Helen Thomas brought to R2 that is valuable since she became the controller? Wasn't she the "HellsBells" the producer from Chris Evans' breakfast show back in the day? She should have stuck to producing. This is not laying blame at her for Steve Wright, but I do think that her eulogies about him are mere platitudes.

I wish they'd give the afternoon slot to OJ Borg ( who does the midnight slot ). He's warm, funny and very personable, he deserves a break!

OJ stood in for Sara cox the other week and he seems really nice !

Yes, I really like him.