The famed UK Glastonbury Festival will be honoring the life of legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel by renaming one of their stages in his name starting with the 2005 festival. What was called the “New Stage” will be named the “John Peel Stage” according to organizer Michael Eavis. Peel had a close relationship with the festival over his career, and often presented shows on-site from Worthy Farm when the festival was taking place. Eavis told BBC Somerset: “It’s very appropriate because it’s all the sort of music that John would have chosen.”

Eavis recalled Peel’s huge influence on the festival, attributing The Smiths’ landmark 1984 performance to the DJ. “He chose a band and he made it succeed,” said Eavis reports BBC online.

It was announced yesterday that Peel had died of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru.

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