Coroner will not hold inquest into death of Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright

No inquest will be held into the death of Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright, a coroner’s court has said.

Veteran BBC radio broadcaster Wright, one of the most familiar voices on the airwaves in the UK, died at the age of 69 in February.

Westminster Coroner’s Court said in a statement: “An inquest will not be required for Mr Wright.

“The coroner has now discontinued this case.”

Coroners investigate sudden, violent or unnatural deaths such as an accident or suicide.

They can decide whether there are grounds to hold an inquest for a natural death, which can happen in a case of neglect or if the person was in police custody or prison at the time of death.

Metropolitan Police previously said Wright’s death at a flat in the Marylebone area of central London “was unexpected, but is not being treated as suspicious”.

Wright first joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show and held various positions including an afternoon show and a breakfast show at the station.

He had a stint at commercial radio before returning to BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright’s Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs and three years later had Steve Wright In The Afternoon every weekday on Radio 2.

Wright stepped down in September 2022, replaced by Scott Mills in a schedule shake-up, but Wright continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2.

Michael Ball has since been announced as the host of a Sunday love songs show, which has been retitled Love Songs With Michael Ball.

Wright was made an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to radio.