Papers pay tribute to John Peel

Veteran BBC broadcaster John Peel, who has died aged 65, is the subject of several tributes in Wednesday's papers.

The Guardian described him as "65 going on 16" in reference to the disc jockey's broad musical taste.

It says he promoted psychedelia, punk, reggae, hip-hop and folk rock among other musical genres.

And the Sun calls him a "genuine pop icon" and quotes singer Feargal Sharkey who called Peel "the most important broadcaster we've ever known".

Obscure music

The Daily Mail also pays tribute, saluting a "champion of rock who became a stalwart of Middle England".

Listeners to BBC Radio 4 show Home Truths felt they knew the broadcaster's family "intimately", says the paper.

The Mail claims this "ordinariness" meant he was able to coax quirky and engaging stories from the listeners he interviewed on his programme.

Gavin Martin, the Daily Mirror's music critic, said Peel loved to play obscure music because he was a " true fan".

'Cultural loss'

Teenage Kicks, by the Undertones, is widely reported as being the DJ's favourite song.

In the Mirror the band's guitarist, John O'Neill, described Peel's love of the song as the "greatest compliment" he had ever received.

And, in the Independent, Peel's friend and fellow DJ Andy Kershaw said he considered himself "lucky" to have known the broadcaster.

He describes the DJ's death as "a huge cultural loss".

'Landmark' broadcaster

Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph focuses on the personal qualities that made Peel a "landmark" broadcasting figure.

The paper refers to his "honesty, integrity, perfect manners and gently questing intelligence" as attributes which set him apart from his peers.

The Times reports widespread shock in Peel's home village in Suffolk.

The paper says Peel's "laconic style and gruff modesty" meant that he would almost certainly have been embarrassed by the widespread sadness at his death.