STEVE Wright’s brother has spoken out on the radio star’s cause of death and claimed he was fighting a hidden health battle.
The veteran radio presenter passed away at the age of 69 and was found dead at his London flat on Monday.
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Police and paramedics scrambled to a flat in the Marylebone area of central London on Monday morning.
But cops said that Steve’s death was “not being treated as suspicious” after he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His heartbroken brother Laurence Wright, 65, has now blamed the BBC star’s death on his poor diet, reports MailOnline.
Laurence says Steve’s tendency for eating out at restaurants combined with his reluctance to talk about various “health issues”, were the main factors behind his shock death.
Laurence, a director of a company in the health industry, said: “He was aware that he could have looked after himself better, in his lifestyle choices. Obviously we all wish he had.
“It’s like anyone who doesn’t look after themselves over an extended period. “
His devastated sibling added that Steve was a “stoic” man who didn’t complain and kept his family in the dark about his health.
Laurence added: “The normal stuff – diet, nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress – he was a very stoic kind of guy as well so if he had something wrong with him and he had to go to have some treatment or go to the doctors, he wouldn’t talk about it.
This Morning’s Dermot O’Leary pays heartfelt tribute to friend Steve Wright live on air as he’s joined by radio legends
“He was the kind of guy who would just carry on, take care of it, not talk about it, not make a big thing, that kind of stoic sort of attitude.
“That’s just how he was – that probably didn’t help really, because he wouldn’t have help or take advice necessarily.”
Celebrity publicist Gary Farrow told The Sun that his friend of 40 years was “devastated” to lose his massively popular Radio 2 slot two years ago.
However, Garry added that his pal had no real medical problems to speak of.
But he did admit that Steve’s diet could have been better.
He exclusively told The Sun: “From what I know, he didn’t have any real medical problems – he was always taking vitamins and popping pills.
“Sure, he didn’t really eat broccoli and he liked McDonald’s, but he was such a character, the likes of which I don’t think we will see again.”
Gary blasted BBC bosses who deemed Steve “too old”, saying there was no one more “current”.
He told how his “painfully shy” friend “needed an arm round the shoulder” from his bosses — but it never came.
From bullied schoolboy to BBC legend
By Jane Matthews
STEVE Wright went from being a bullied schoolboy cruelly dubbed ‘Big Nose’ to a BBC radio legend.
Wright was born in Greenwich, London and attended Eastwood High School in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
It was there that he was cruelly nicknamed Big Nose and Concorde.
His first job after leaving school was in marine insurance but after three years he realised it wasn’t for him.
It was then that Wright left to become a local newspaper reporter.
This led him to BBC, as a record librarian, which then went on to his own shows – and the rest was history.
But in 2022 he announced he was stepping back from his Afternoon show after more than two decades.
He said at the time: “Before we start the show proper, if I may, I’d just like to say thank you ever so much for all the messages that have come in, over the weekend after I announced on Friday on the afternoon that we are leaving the afternoon show.”
The axing saw him take another step towards his Sunday Love Songs show – which he last appeared on just days ago.
Gary continued: “He would spend hours and hours researching before a show, checking out guests and doing his homework. Radio was his life.
“He was Mr Showbiz. He was the first to discuss and champion new books, films, records and TV shows, and so progressive in that respect.
“So quite how the BBC could decide he was ‘too old’ or not current enough is a joke.
“There was no one more current or on the pulse than Steve. There was no one more relevant.”
It was also claimed that he “died of a broken heart” after being dumped by the BBC.
The veteran disc jockey presented the Afternoon Show for 12 years on Radio 1 and a further 23 years on Radio 2.
His last show was on Sunday, as he pre-recorded a Valentine’s Day special of his Love Songs programme.
There, Wright shared his favourite romantic tunes.
During the show the legend signed off saying: “I’ll be back for more love songs next Sunday.
“Ta-ta then.”
His Sunday Love Songs show “brought joy to millions of listeners”, Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, said this afternoon.
