Andy Peebles, the former Radio 1 DJ and presenter who was one of the last people to interview John Lennon, has died aged 76, his family has confirmed.
Peebles began his radio career in Manchester in 1973 and joined Radio 1 in 1978, where he was a familiar voice for 14 years.
His friend and former colleague Mike Read said on X that he was “devastated” to hear the news. “We joined Radio 1 together. Knew his music and cricket inside out. Raise your bat and enjoy a long rest in the pavilion.”
Read posted a recent picture of him having lunch with Peebles and fellow former Radio 1 DJs Dave Lee Travis and Adrian Juste.
Tony Blackburn, the first DJ to be heard on Radio 1 when it launched in 1967, posted: “So sorry to hear that fellow DJ from Radio 1 when I was there Andy Peebles has passed away. He was a lovely man and a great broadcaster, very sad news. R.I.P. Andy.”
Peebles said the highlight of his career was interviewing Lennon in 1980, although it was bittersweet because two days later the former Beatle was dead after being shot by Mark Chapman.
The interview lasted three hours and 22 minutes, Peebles later recalled. “It is a staggeringly long time to actually talk to somebody and that was all down to him.”
Peebles’ final question was about how safe Lennon felt living in New York. Lennon suggested he felt very safe as he could easily walk down the street and go to movies and restaurants, whereas in London he “couldn’t walk round the block”.
Peebles, in an interview with RTÉ to mark the 40th anniversary of Lennon’s death, recalled going for dinner with him at Mr Chow’s in Manhattan after the interview. The whole restaurant turned their heads, he said; Lennon put his arm around Peebles’ shoulder and said: “They’re all saying who the bleep is that with Andy Peebles?”
Born in 1948, he began working as a club DJ in the 1960s before joining BBC Radio Manchester in 1973 and then helping to found Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio, where he presented his weekly Soul Train programme. He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1978 and presented a variety of programmes including a soul show and My Top Twelve, in which music stars would choose their favourite records and talk about their life and career.
Peebles also presented 15 episodes of Top of the Pops and a number of Radio 1 roadshows. After Radio 1, he had stints at Manchester’s Smooth FM and London’s 102.2 Jazz FM, and was inducted into the Radio Academy’s hall of fame in 2011.
