'˜I can't believe he won't be around any more' - DJ David Hamilton pays tribute to Ed '˜Stewpot' Stewart

Tributes were paid today to broadcaster and DJ Ed Stewart who died in hospital on Saturday after suffering a stroke. He was 74.
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Fellow DJ David Hamilton, who lives near Horsham, said: “I`ve known Ed for nearly fifty years. We were at Radio 1 and Radio 2 together, played in charity football matches for the Showbiz X1 and even rode against each other in a speedway race at Wembley Stadium.

“He was like a good wine and got better as the years went by. In his own words he was a ‘glass half full, not empty’ kind of person.

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“I saw a lot of him in recent years and he loved coming to our farmhouse near Horsham. Whenever he came here there was always lots of laughter.

“I spoke to him just a few days before he died. He was talking about the Junior Choice programme he did on Christmas Day and we were planning get togethers this summer, including going to the races in Goodwood like we did the year before last.

“He was one of my best pals in the radio industry, and I just can’t believe he won`t be around any more.”

Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart was a former Top Of The Pops presenter and the first ‘big name’ DJ to join Radio Mercury when it began broadcasting from Broadfield in Crawley in 1984. He presented the station’s mid-morning show for six years before returning to BBC Radio 2.

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Fellow former Mercury presenter and Crawley councillor Chris Oxlade said: “I had the privilege of working with Ed when I first started at Radio Mercury. Watching him on Crackerjack and listening to him on the radio growing up, I was in awe of the man but his gentle, down to earth manner put you at ease straight away.

“He was a true broadcasting legend and was still on air on Radio 2 on Christmas Day. My thoughts are with all his family and many friends. RIP Stewpot.”