Topic: DJ 'Fluff' Freeman dies aged 79

[Simon]

DJ 'Fluff' Freeman dies aged 79

Veteran DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman, whose "Not 'arf" catchphrase made him a household name, has died aged 79.



The former BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 presenter had been living in a nursing home in London since 2000 after being diagnosed with arthritis.

Freeman joined the BBC in 1960 after a spell working in his native Australia.

His Pick of the Pops programme - with its distinctive theme tune and his "greetings, pop pickers" introduction - saw him become one of the UK's top DJs.

The broadcaster died peacefully at Brinsworth House in Twickenham, London.

Born in Australia in 1927, Freeman came to Britain in 1957 after working as an announcer on Melbourne's 3KZ.

Within six months he made contact with Radio Luxembourg and was employed as a summer relief disc jockey.

He joined the BBC's Light Programme two years later and established his show Records Around Five.

Freeman went on to enjoy 50 years in the industry and counted John Peel, Robert Plant, Noel Edmonds, Paul McCartney and Chris Tarrant among his friends.

His Pick of the Pops show assumed its regular placing at Sunday teatime throughout the sixties and he made regular appearances on Top of the Pops.

'Passionate'

Tim Blackmore, who was his personal manager for the last 20 years, said: "Alan was a naturally warm man who never quite understood the nature of his appeal.

"He cared passionately for music of all kinds, for his family and for his friends.

"Yet through all his professional success, he still retained a total bewilderment that so much success and affection should have come his way.

"His was the creation of the chart countdown, his was the stunning combination of rock music and classical music, and his was the creation of minimalism in the art of the DJ.

"We will not see his like again, and our debt in response to his contribution is without equal."

Opera lover

Freeman's final contributions to radio focused on opera, presenting Their Greatest Bits for BBC Radio 2 from 1997 until 2001.

He had at one stage hoped to follow in the footsteps of his operatic idols, but when singing lessons revealed that his rich baritone voice was "good, but not that good" he opted for a career that combined music with radio.

Lesley Douglas, controller of BBC Radio 2, said he appealed both to radio fans and to the people he worked with.

"The words unique and iconic are overused, but in Alan Freeman's case, they are absolutely appropriate," she said. "He was a great broadcaster who was loved by listeners and colleagues."

In 1987 the Radio Academy paid tribute to him for his outstanding contribution to music radio and in 1988 he was named the Sony Awards radio personality of the year.

He was awarded the MBE in 1998 for his services to music.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/6187762.stm

[Clive]

I first heard him on Radio Lux   ou g  back in the early 60's where he stood out from the other DJ's.  I listened to Pick of the Pops for more years than I care to remember.

[chorleydave]

With "Fluff" joining Tommy Vance and John Peel in that big studio in the sky, we have just witnessed the end of an era.  I wasn't aware he had been in a nursing home.  In fact, I was only discussing Freeman with a few pals in the pub a couple of weeks' ago and we all wondered what had become of him.

A sad day.