A British Music icon dies aged 79.

Former Radio 1 DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman, who coined the phrase "Greetings, Pop Pickers", has died.

The 79-year-old broadcaster died peacefully at his home in Twickenham, south-west London, 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.

On September 23, 1961 he introduced his first Pick Of The Pops as part of a Saturday evening show called Trad Tavern on the Light Programme.

Then in 1962, Pick Of The Pops assumed its regular placing at Sunday teatime. Freeman presented the show on Radio 1 for the next 10 years.

He presented a show on Saturday afternoons playing Rock music and introduced many new bands to the ears of his listeners.

He moved to London's Capital Radio and by 1982 his Saturday morning Pick of the Pops Take Two was one of the station's most popular programmes.

"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"
- Manager Tim Blackmore.

In January 1989 Freeman returned to BBC Radio 1 to host a Saturday night rock show and Pick Of The Pops on Sundays.

At the end of 1993 he moved back to Capital Radio, this time on their Gold service where until the end of 1996 he continued to present Pick Of The Pops every Saturday morning.

He was awarded the MBE for services to music in the 1998 New Year Honours list, and a year later received the lifetime achievement award at that year's Sony Radio Academy Awards.

His final broadcasts focused on his beloved world of opera, presenting Their Greatest Bits for BBC Radio 2 from 1997 until 2001.

Broadcaster Chris Tarrant once expressed his amazement that any man could build an entire career on three phrases, "All right", "Stay Bright" and "Not 'Arf".

Freeman's personal manager for the past 20 years, Tim Blackmore, said: "Alan was a naturally warm man who never quite understood the nature of his appeal. 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.''

My own personal recollections of "Fluff" are all good/funny ones.

I used to always take a bath on Sturday afternoons listening to his Rock show and it was he who played Boston's debut album in the UK. I went out the very next morning and bought it. I've loved that album ever since. When I was younger I used to buy a lot of my 7 inch singles (remember them?) at "Alan Freeman's Record Shop" in Leyton, not far from where I lived in Clapton. He was also the voice of "Brentford Nylons" a company that sold Nylon sheets and Nylon Drip Dry Shirts. They were cheap but IMHO "Very nasty". Wearing Nylon Shirts and sleeping under Nylon Sheets during the summer was NOT a good idea.

RIP Fluff. I will always remember you.