A major update has been given in the deaths of rock Ken Wright and his wife Vanessa. The couple were killed in a crash in July 2025 near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. Wright, 85, died at the crash site and Vanessa, 77, died in hospital in Oxford days later. An inquest into their deaths was scheduled to take place on June 17, but the Oxfordshire coroner service has now confirmed this did not happen. This was due to a decision to have an ‘out of file review’, meaning that no final inquest was held.
An out-of-court file review, or inquest in writing, allows a coroner to review evidence and conclude an inquest solely on written documents. The police have also since closed their investigation into the crash and declined to provide further information about the circumstances when approached by the Oxford Mail.
Wright was a beloved music star with a long and successful career, and was best known for playing in rock group Cliff Ward and The Cruisers in the 1960s.
He also worked with late songwriter Clifford T Ward as the drummer on his albums.
Wright had worked at the BBC before finding fame in the music industry, and worked as an accountant where he met wife Vanessa.
Tributes poured in for the couple at the time of theirs death, as Bev Pegg, who performed in groups with Mr Wright, issued a statement. He said: “In 1972, Ken played drums, and I played bass on Clifford T Ward’s first album Singer Songwriter.
“At the end of 2019 I called a halt to my band gigs due to my poor hearing. Ken could have carried on, but he wasn’t bothered so he packed up gigging.
“It is the suddenness of everything that one reflects on. They both had been somewhere, happily driving along in their car, probably heading for home and unexpectedly, within the timescale of a few seconds, their lives were over. I will miss these two lovely people”.
His friend Mel Hayward added: “From the age of 11 to 27 he was my best friend. He was just a great guy.”
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