Although not from Bury St Edmunds, BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel lived nearby in Great Finborough and on 12 November 2004 his funeral took place at the cathedral. It was attended by a thousand people including many artists he had championed. During a peak of local musical activity in Bury St Edmunds in 2002, he referred (tongue-in-cheek) to the town as 'The New Seattle'.