Radio 1 DJ Greening dies, aged 44

The former BBC Radio 1 breakfast DJ Kevin Greening has died at the age of 44.

"He died peacefully in his sleep last night," said his agent Chris North. No details on the cause of death were given.

Mr Greening was best known as co-host with Zoe Ball on the Radio 1 breakfast show in the late 1990s. The pair added 23,000 listeners to the show after taking over from Mark Radcliffe and his sidekick, Lard.

His early career included tape editing for the investigative reporter Roger Cook, and presenting for the newly-launched Virgin Radio in 1993. After arriving at Radio 1 a year later, he became known for the comedy sketches he inserted into his programmes, one of which included an ill-fated DJ character called Raymond Sinclair. He left Radio 1 to work for BBC World Service, BBC Radio 5 Live and the London stations Jazz FM, Heart 106.2, XFM and Smooth Radio.

The BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster Nick Wallis said Mr Greening was held in "very high regard" by "the entire industry".

"I enjoyed Kevin's unassuming manner, generous nature and warm, wry, friendly outlook on life. I'm shocked he's not going to be here any more," he said. The Five Live presenter Simon Mayo said: "He was a fantastic example as to how much work should go into a programme."