The Radio 2 presenter Steve Wright died from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach, according to his death certificate.
The veteran DJ, who presented Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio for more than three decades until 2022, as well as the weekly show Sunday Love Songs, died in February aged 69 at his home in London.
The causes of his death were acute peritonitis and a perforated gastric peptic ulcer. Peritonitis is an infection of the lining of the abdomen, while a perforated ulcer is a rarer complication when the lining of the stomach splits open.
The Metropolitan Police previously said that Wright’s death at a flat in the Marylebone area of central London “was unexpected, but is not being treated as suspicious”. It had also been confirmed that no inquest was to be held into Wright’s death.
Westminster coroner’s court said in May: “An inquest will not be required for Mr Wright. The coroner has now discontinued this case.”
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Earlier in his life Wright had struggled with his weight and was 18st at his heaviest. In an interview in 2010 he said that he had shed one and half stone by exercising daily and cutting out chips, crisps and chocolate.
At the time of his death Tim Davie, the BBC director general, said that staff were “heartbroken”.
“He was the ultimate professional — passionate about the craft of radio and deeply in touch with his listeners,” Davie said. “No one had more energy to deliver shows that put a smile on audiences’ faces.”
In 2024, the year that he died, his two-hour Sunday Love Songs show was being broadcast to an audience of about 3 million people each week, almost one fifth of those listening to radio at the time.
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He was replaced by his Radio 2 colleague Michael Ball, who hailed Wright as an “icon” when he took over presenting duties. “I want to do the show justice because Steve was and still is such an icon,” Ball said. “He showcased the best of what radio is and the enjoyment it could bring to countless people.”
Scott Mills had replaced Wright on his Radio 2 afternoon show in October 2022.
After his death the BBC aired four classic Top of the Pops episodes presented by Wright in the Eighties and launched a collection of programmes in which he featured on Sounds. A special commission celebrating Wright’s BBC career is due to be broadcast later this year.
Wright was made an MBE in the 2024 new year honours for services to radio.
