BRITAIN: Veteran British disc jockey John Peel, who championed new music trends like punk on mainstream radio, has died of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru.
His employer, the BBC, said yesterday the 65-year-old Peel, whose laconic style and northern English accent were immediately recognisable, was in the ancient Inca city of Cuzco with his wife Sheila.
He died on Monday.
"John Peel was a broadcasting legend. I am deeply saddened by his death," said Mr Andy Parfitt, controller of the BBC's flagship pop music station Radio One.
While many around him opted for the musical mainstream, Peel determinedly espoused the off-beat and the experimental throughout his long career, making him a beacon to young bands trying to break through.
"John's influence has towered over the development of popular music for nearly four decades and his contribution to modern music and music culture is immeasurable. He will be hugely missed," Mr Parfitt said.
Fans agreed.
"Very sad news, the man is a legend. There are many bands out there who would never have seen the light of day but for Peel," said one on a website after hearing of his death.
Peel was born in Heswall near Chester in north-western England and, after completing his compulsory military service in 1962, went to the United States to kick off his career.
He started work at a radio station in Dallas, Texas, and was there when president John F. Kennedy was assassinated. From there he roamed from one radio station to another, ending in Los Angeles in the heyday of the hippie era. Returning to England in 1967, he began broadcasting to the mainland from pirate radio ships anchored just outside British waters.
Then he moved to Radio One as the station took to the airwaves, giving Britons a taste of the surging popular music of the Beatles and their contemporaries.
Always open to the unknown and on the look-out for the unusual, Peel promoted movements like punk, reggae and hip-hop. His show made the careers of a host of bands like Joy Division, The Smiths and Blur.
A popular figure with the avant-garde of the music scene, Peel made a smooth transition from the night owl to the avuncular with his Home Truths family stories radio show.
During 40 years as a broadcaster he went on to promote acts from David Bowie and The Undertones through to the White Stripes.
Feargal Sharkey, former frontman of The Undertones, described the DJ as the "single most important broadcaster we have ever known".
Blur frontman Damon Albarn said Peel would "never be forgotten".
He said: "John Peel's patronage was for me, like countless other musicians, one of the most significant things that happened to us in our careers. The world is going to be a poorer place with his sudden departure."
Oasis star Noel Gallagher said: "John Peel was a rare breed amongst radio DJs. His contribution to introducing new music to music fans in this country has been phenomenal and he will be sadly missed."
Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello said Peel "was the contradiction of every bad thing you could say about radio. He had an open mind about music, whether he was bringing the listener the Incredible String Band or the Fall, Mike Hart or Echo and the Bunnymen, and countless bands that appeared only to be heard on his great shows."
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker said Peel "stuck up for the 'sore thumbs' of the music scene".
Mr Tony Blair's official spokesman said the Prime Minister was "genuinely saddened by the news".
Regularly topping music papers' best DJ polls, Peel also won the 1993 Sony Award for Broadcaster of the Year, and in 1994 was named Godlike Genius by the NME music newspaper.
Peel picked up a string of honorary degrees from universities across England, and won an Order of the British Empire for his work.
BBC director of radio and music, Ms Jenny Abramsky, described Peel as unique. "He had a remarkable rapport with all his listeners. Everyone at BBC radio is devastated by the news."
He leaves his wife, Sheila, and their four children. - (Reuters, PA)