Tributes have poured in across Essex to veteran radio DJ Steve Wright after his death aged 69.

The family of the BBC presenter - who went to school in Eastwood - announced his death today in a statement to BBC.

In the statement shared to the broadcaster with "deep sorrow and profound regret", his family requested privacy as they grieve. 

In a tribute, Billericay-born Richard Osman, well-known as former co-presenter of BBC One quiz show Pointless, said the job he "wanted most in the world" as a teenager was to be part of Steve Wright's "posse".

"He made radio seem so joyous," Osman said. "What terribly sad news, and what a brilliant broadcaster he was."

Wright studied at Eastwood High School for Boys, where he broadcast an early version of his radio show over the speaker system from the stock cupboard.

He also delivered the Echo newspaper when he was young.

Iain Dale, who was born in Cambridge but grew up in Essex, wrote: "I grew up with Steve Wright. He is one of my broadcasting heroes.

"He phoned me 2 weeks ago just to tell me I'd done a brilliant show the previous night. You can imagine what that meant to me.

"I tried to get him to do an All Talk but he hated talking about himself. Legend."

Wright joined the BBC in the 1970s, going on to host shows on BBC Radio 1 and 2 for more than four decades which attracted millions of listeners.

Stan Collymore, senior football strategist at Southend United, shared: "Incredibly sad to hear about Steve Wright's passing. A literal soundtrack of being a teenager. A truly great broadcaster, engaging, funny and always came across as a genuinely kind man.

"Rest in peace, Steve, radio and broadcasting will be so much poorer without you."

Wright was also a long-standing presenter of Top Of The Pops on BBC One.

Echo reader Elizabeth Guy commented: "What a shock to see this. I loved him and was gutted when they took him off the afternoon show on Radio 2.

"I used to work with his mum at Customs and Excise, she was so proud of him. Bless them both and my condolences to his family."

Steve leaves behind his son Tom and daughter Lucy, as well as his brother Laurence and his father Richard.

Reality star Rylan Clark, from Stanford-le-Hope, said he is devastated and thanked "real hero" Steve for being "so wonderful" to him throughout the years.