Radio DJ Steve Wright died in February 2024 and now, 16 months on, the contents of his will and who he has left his estate to has been revealed.
The news follows the publication of Steve’s cause of death at the age of 69.
Steve Wright’s cause of death
Last July, according to his death certificate, it was revealed that Steve died from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach. His certificate stated that the causes of his death were acute peritonitis and a perforated gastric peptic ulcer.
Peritonitis is an infection of the lining of the abdomen.
The popular BBC DJ died on February 12, his family announced in a statement. He was pronounced dead at his London flat after an ambulance was sent to respond to “an incident“.
Steve continued to host his weekly Radio 2 show, Sunday Love Songs, up until a day before his death.
Contents of his will and benefactors revealed
Earlier today (June 24), the contents of the DJ’s will were revealed. And he left behind a surprisingly small cash sum, given that his home in London was estimated to be worth around £2 million and his career spanned four decades.
According to reports, Steve left an estate worth £53,623. He drew up his will two months before his death. And he left instructions that his funeral be paid for out of his own pocket alongside any inheritance tax or expenses relating to his death.
In a final act of generosity, Steve left five-figure sums to two charities. He gave £15k to Cancer Research UK and £10k to the British Heart Foundation.
The remaining money – less than £25k – was to be shared equally between his two children, Lucy and Tom. Steve shared his son and daughter with Cyndi Robinson, who he married in 1985. The pair divorced in 1999.
The majority of Steve’s career earnings are held in his 22 Media Limited business. Corporate accounts show the firm held £3.3m in cash in 2023 – the last time documents were filed before his death. In January, his children were given control over the company and its funds.
A source said: “It is typical of Steve that he thought of charities as well as his family. He was known for his big heart throughout his career and was always thinking of others.”
Steve Wright never recovered from BBC axe, friend claimed
Immediately following his death, friends claimed that Steve never recovered from the BBC axing his Steve Wright in the Afternoon show in September 2022.
Celebrity publicist Gary Farrow, who split from Loose Women’s Jane Moore in December 2022, said that he thought Steve “died of a broken heart” following the axe.
Speaking to The Sun, Farrow claimed Steve never got over being axed from his Radio 2 afternoon show after 24 years.
He said: “Steve lived for that show, he absolutely loved it – and the listeners loved him. My view is that he died from a broken heart. 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. 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,” he said.
He added that he’ll “never understand” the decision to axe his show. And, he claimed, it “devastated” Steve.
‘Steve could have looked after himself better’
Steve’s brother Laurence, meanwhile, told MailOnline: “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. 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.
“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.”
BBC statement
Steve was replaced in his daily afternoon slot back in September 2022. Scott Mills took over in a bid to attract a younger audience.
The move was blasted at the time and, following his death, others spoke out about the treatment of Steve by the BBC.
A spokesperson for Radio 2 told us: “Steve was deeply loved by the Radio 2 family and listeners, and for almost three decades he hosted a raft of brilliant shows on the network enjoyed by millions.
“In addition to his past Saturday and Afternoon Shows, Steve’s Sunday Love Songs has been on air since 1996, and most recently Steve also hosted the legendary Pick of the Pops on Saturdays, alongside a variety of specials on Radio 2, and Steve Wright: The Best of the Guests, Steve Wright’s Summer Nights and Steve Wright’s Love Songs Extra on BBC Sounds.
“We will miss him dearly,” the statement then added.
Read more: Inside Steve Wright’s health battle after he ballooned to 18 stone
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