Peel, who championed every emerging genre from glam-rock to punk and hip-hop, was struck down during a holiday with his wife, Sheila, in Peru. Peel, who had diabetes diagnosed three years ago, suffered a heart attack in the ancient Inca city of Cuzco.

Alcides Vargas, a doctor who worked to revive Peel, told Peruvian radio that the DJ had suffered the attack in his hotel room in Cuzco, 350 miles southeast of Lima, the Peruvian capital. He was pronounced dead on the way to a clinic.

Artists including Elvis Costello and Blur said that they owed their careers to the broadcaster. Tony Blair joined those paying tribute to Peel’s cultural influence over four decades.

After announcing his death on Radio 1, the station played Peel’s favourite song of all time, Teenage Kicks by The Undertones, a punk band. Andy Parfitt, the Radio 1 Controller, said that the station’s longest-serving DJ was “irreplaceable”.

Famed for his laconic style and gruff modesty, the universal expressions of loss would have embarrassed Peel, who was rooting around for esoteric releases to challenge his listeners right up to his death.

Peel gave a first airing to Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan and The Smiths and recently seized on an American blues duo, The White Stripes, who went on to sell one million albums.

Hopefuls sent four full mailsacks of demo tapes and homemade singles to his BBC office each week and Peel diligently listened to them all, eventually building an extension at his Suffolk home to house his record collection.

Tributes flooded the BBC website from around the world. Peel’s thirst for global sounds inspired regular broadcasts for the BBC World Service and he had also made a smooth transition to Radio 4 as the presenter of Home Truths.

Peel was about to publish his autobiography, for which he was paid £1.2 million. The book, expected to appear posthumously, will reveal details of his exploits in the Sixties, when he followed the Beatles to the United States as a DJ.

There was shock and sadness at the village of Great Finborough, near Stowmarket, Suffolk, where the Peel family live, as friends recalled a man who was closely involved in the local community.

Mr Parfitt led the tributes. He said: “John’s influence has towered over the development of popular music for nearly four decades and his contribution to modern music and music culture is immeasurable.

“His commitment and passion for new music only grew stronger over the years. At Radio 1 gatherings the DJs would gather around his chair like a throne while he told all these fantastic stories.”

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