Private service to be held next week...
Lowri Williams

15:33 8th March 2005

The funeral of Former Radio 1 DJ Tommy Vance will be a “celebration of his life”.

The private service will be held at Golders Green crematorium in north London on Tuesday 15 March, reports the BBC.

Vance died three days after suffering from a stroke, he was 63. He began his radio career in the States and then worked at Radio Caroline and Radio 1.

Colleague and friend DJ Dave Cash said: "Once you became friends with Tommy you were friends for life."

"He was a very private guy, but to his friends he was great, you could always rely on him.

"He's a bit like John Peel and Kenny Everett - he's irreplaceable, he was a total professional.

"Tommy was part of the group that actually cared about the music he was playing."

Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt said: "Tommy Vance was a great broadcaster.

"He presented for many years on Radio 1 the seminal rock show which a whole generation of music fans remember very fondly.

"He will be sadly missed by listeners and fellow DJs alike."

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.