John Peel - did he just die???????

[Thomcat]

I so hope not, I missed the start of the report on radio 2 but then they gave a tributre to his life.

Did he die, oh i so hope i'm wrong

i've just read this--how awful.

i'm really sad about him dying. he was a pretty good spokesman for people with diabetes as well as being wonderful on the radio.

So So sad I can't belive he was 65 though, he will be sadly missed.

I think it was also front page news because he was truly influential in the path that music has taken. Before MTV and digital radio, there wasn't really much choice in broadcasted music. John Peel was the only way that music other than the top 20 could be heard. As a university student in the usa, I bought every record that he recommended and was introduced to lots of music that I would never have even heard of otherwise.
I actually met him and had dinner with him many many years ago and thought he was a totally charming, down to earth man.

How embarrassing was Mark E Smith on Newsnight? Gurning away.

I'm sorry, I've always thought that man was a grade A loon, Tink. Feargal Sharkey was far more sensible on the BBC News. And nice to see ITN doing a fond short feature too.
we have divided our Sat morning listening between Radios 4 and 2 for some time now...

here her sofiames. The list of bands that he was responsible for unearthing is endless.

thanks for redirecting me nasa - this is such sad and awful news - was really shocked. A lovely man who will be greatly missed.

I think we underestimate the far reaching effect that John Peel had on music in our society. It was he who first championed the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Undertones, The Smiths as well as new music (to the UK) such as reggae and hip hop before they were picked up by the mainstream media. He truly has influenced many people in this country, whether they know it or not, because music does lay a part in many peoples lives.

May he Rock on in Peace .

dh said to me last night that the licence fee was worth it just for having John Peel for as long as we did, because he ignored playlists and made people think about music, even if some of it was a bit bonkers and played at the wrong speed...

Letter in today's Indie pointing out the ludicrousness of the honours system when it is Sir Mark Thatcher and John Peel OBE

I like the idea of naming a stage after him at Glastonbury. When dh told me last night I said "oh but what if they put cr*p acts like Beyonce on it - 'cos they have all kinds of rubbish at Glastonbury these days?" but he sys it's only for new bands - phew! I think JP would be back to haunt them if they allowed Ronan Keating on his stage

agree tinker, but hopefully soon Sir M will be in clink and Peely is playing on the big mixing desk in the sky...with kenny dalglish posters all over the wall

'Sir' Mark Thatcher's title is hereditary I believe. I agree the system is all wrong, and what about 'Lord' Jeffery Archer? who'd want to be a Lord if it meant rubbing shoulders with snakes like him!