Johnnie Walker was hailed as a “broadcasting legend”

Some have referred to radio host Johnnie Walker as a “broadcasting legend” since his death at the age of 79.

Two months after ending his 58-year radio career due to poor health, the DJ passed away on Tuesday.

Following Walker’s retirement, Bob Harris, the host of BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the 70s program, announced his former coworker’s passing live on the air.

According to Harris, he was “an excellent, friendly, superb broadcaster” who “was passionate about radio and went out on a limb many times to defend the music that he loved.”

Walker suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, a disorder that causes the lungs to scar and makes breathing challenging.

At the end of October, he resigned from his position as host of the Rock Show and Sounds of the Seventies on Radio 2.

Helen Thomas, the station’s controller, called him “a much-loved broadcasting legend.”

“His warm, approachable manner of presentation and his wry sense of humor made sure that his audience loved him,” she said.

“The radio stations will never be the same. Our sympathies are with his wife Tiggy and his kids, and Radio 2 presenters, employees, and listeners will all miss him terribly.”

“His warm, approachable manner of presentation and his wry sense of humor made sure that his audience loved him,” she said.

“The radio stations will never be the same. Our sympathies are with his wife Tiggy and his kids, and Radio 2 presenters, employees, and listeners will all miss him terribly.”

“How he kept broadcasting almost to the end, and with what dignity and grace he coped with his painful lung ailment” is something Tiggy Walker said she “could not be more proud” of her husband.

“What a strong, incredible man; he never wavered from his end of being his endearing, amusing self. From beginning to end, it has been an exhilarating experience,” she remarked.

“And what a day to go, if I may say so. In heaven, he will be spending New Year’s Eve with a group of outstanding musicians. His last live performance was a year ago. My amazing husband is now at rest; may God bless him.

Sally Boazman, a traffic presenter who co-hosted Radio 2’s drivetime show alongside Walker from 1999 to 2006, described him as “such a brilliant broadcaster.”

“He was the real deal,” she stated, adding, “He was wonderful in the way that he presented, he had a great voice, he knew his music inside and out.”

“He still had that excitement and that love of the music, but it was quite heartbreaking to witness how he lost his voice towards the end.”

“A very sad loss since he was such a terrific broadcaster and a close friend as well,” remarked Tony Blackburn of Radio 2.

During his Tuesday broadcast, Harris recalled that he and Walker had been friends since the 1960s and that they had just been texting each other since he took over Sounds of the Seventies.

“He said, ‘The listeners are nice and they will look after you,’ and wished me luck on my first show.”

Additionally, Harris delivered a tribute from Shaun Keaveny, who replaced Walker on the Rock Show.

He was “a rebel, a soul searcher and seeker, a rocker, a wonderful broadcaster,” according to Keaveny.

“He did enjoy life to the fullest. “Working with him was an absolute honor,” he remarked.

Harris also received a note from Greg James, host of the Radio 1 breakfast show. “I am sitting here listening to you with my dad. “Sad news, but in times like these, radio is the best community,” he added.

“So sorry to hear the news about the great Johnnie Walker,” posted former Radio 2 host Ken Bruce on social media. He was not just a fantastic broadcaster but also a kind and strong individual.

Walker’s passing was “so very sad” to hear, according to Radio 2 host Elaine Paige. “His wife Tiggy and his family have my sincerest sympathies. Everyone will miss him terribly,” she continued.

Nicky Campbell of Radio 5 Live wrote on X: “Goodbye, Johnnie. A kind and intelligent man. I feel incredibly fortunate to have known you. You served as an inspiration.

In October, Walker had declared live over the air that he was retiring and hanging up his microphone.

After reading a letter from a listener whose dad had loved the show but had died of pulmonary fibrosis in 2022, he explained.

According to him, “Now, that leads me to be making a very terrible announcement,”

“I have had to decide that I need to quit my career because of the difficulties I have had doing the program and attempting to sort of maintain a professional standard fit for Radio 2—which is why I make tiny jokes about Puffing Billy.”

On October 25, Walker’s final edition of The Rock Show aired, and on October 27, his last episode of Sounds of the Seventies aired.

“It’s going to be quite strange not to be on the wireless anymore,” Walker remarked after his last performance. By the same token, life will be a little less stressful as you struggle to find the breath to complete the programs.

“I appreciate you sticking by me over the years. Take care of yourself and the people you care about, and may we proceed into the future with joy in our hearts and heads held high. May God bless you.

Before switching to Radio Caroline, Walker started his radio career in 1966 on the offshore pirate station Swinging Radio England.

In 1969, BBC Radio 1 hired him. In 1997, he joined Radio 2, where he stayed until his retirement.

Beginning in 1971, he promoted artists such as Steve Harley, Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and Steely Dan on his lunchtime Radio 1 show.

Before coming home in the 1980s, he also lived in California for a while in the 1970s. In 1987, he returned to Radio 1. He did shows for Radio 5 Live as well.

Walker, who was hosting Radio 2’s drivetime slot in 2003, told listeners that he had “died” three times on the operating table while undergoing chemotherapy and emergency surgery for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.