Alan Freeman CBE, one of the UK’s best-loved broadcasters, has died peacefully at his London home after a brief illness.
Alan was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1927 and came to Britain in 1957. He enjoyed almost 50 years as one of the UK’s greatest champions of music-makers across the widest possible range of musical genres.
Back in 1961 he launched the concept of his listeners as “pop pickers” and when his desire to expand his musical constituency took him into rock music he addressed his new audience as “music lovers”. His final broadcasts focused on his beloved world of opera, presenting Their Greatest Bits for BBC Radio 2 from 1997 until 2001.
Apart from the BBC, for whom he presented the weekly chart countdown “Pick of the Pops” for many years, he also had spells working for Radio Luxembourg, Capital Radio and Virgin Radio. He was also known around the world for his broadcasts on the BBC World Service.
From February 2000 Alan lived happily at Twickenham’s Brinsworth House, operated by The Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund. This “home from home” gave him some of his happiest times as his physical abilities declined.
(Source: BBC Press Office/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)