Broadcaster Alan Freeman, the man who coined the phase "Greetings, Pop Pickers'', has died.
The 79-year-old died peacefully at home in Twickenham after a brief illness.
Freeman, who was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1927, and came to Britain in 1957, enjoyed almost 50 years in the industry.
The Radio 1 DJ coined the phrase "Pop Pickers" in 1961 and described rock music fans as "music lovers".
His final broadcasts focused on his beloved world of opera, presenting Their Greatest Bits for BBC Radio Two from 1997 until 2001.
Nicknamed "Fluff", Freeman was described by a BBC spokeswoman as self-effacing.
She added that he enjoyed the friendship of colleagues throughout the industry including John Peel, Robert Plant, Noel Edmonds, Paul McCartney and Chris Tarrant.
His personal manager for the last 20 years, Tim Blackmore, 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."
Lesley Douglas, controller of BBC Radio 2 said: "The words unique and iconic are overused, but in Alan Freeman's case, they are absolutely appropriate. He was a great broadcaster who was loved by listeners and colleagues.''
Posted on Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 at 5:17 am by RadioToday UK