Steve Wright left behind just £40,000 in his will, with the majority of his estate being gifted to charity.
The BBC Radio 2 legend died aged 69 from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach at his £2million home in London on February 12 2024.
He rose to fame in 1980 on BBC Radio 1, including fronting the channel’s prime-time breakfast show, before moving to Radio 2, where he was a constant feature.
But the star DJ’s estate had a net value of just £40,623 when he died, with the gross value rising to just £53,623.
In a generous final gesture, Steve gave £15,000 to Cancer Research in his will and another £10,000 to the British Heart Foundation.
The sum that remained – amounting to little more than £25,000 – was to be shared between his children, Lucy and Tom.
The will, made just two months before he died, directed that his funeral be paid for out of his own pocket alongside any inheritance tax or expenses relating to his death.
Steve joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 to host a Saturday evening show before moving on to host Steve Wright In The Afternoon a year later until 1993.
Wright then fronted the Radio 1 Breakfast show for a year until 1995, and completed a stint at commercial radio stations before returning to BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright’s Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs.
In 1999, he recreated Steve Wright In The Afternoon every weekday on Radio 2, with celebrity interviews and entertaining trivia featured in his Factoids segment, before stepping down in September 2022.
Former BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills took over the afternoon slot as part of the station’s schedule shake-up.
Wright continued to present Sunday Love Songs on BBC Radio 2 and since October last year, he presented the long-running show Pick Of The Pops, which had previously been fronted by Paul Gambaccini.
His last show was a pre-recorded Valentine’s Day edition of the programme three days after his death. Wright told listeners in his final sign-off: ‘I’ll be back for more love songs next Sunday, ta-da then.’
A statement shared by Wright’s family at the time said: ‘It is with deep sorrow and profound regret that we announce the passing of our beloved Steve Wright.
‘In addition to his son, Tom, and daughter, Lucy, Steve leaves behind his brother, Laurence and his father Richard.
‘Also, much-loved close friends and colleagues, and millions of devoted radio listeners who had the good fortune and great pleasure of allowing Steve into their daily lives as one of the UK’s most enduring and popular radio personalities.
‘As we all grieve, the family requests privacy at this immensely difficult time.’
This is a breaking story, more to follow.
