BBC 2 Radio legend Johnnie Walker bids emotional farewell after 58 years amid health battle
Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker gave an emotional farewell to his listeners after 58 years, as he retires amid an illness.
Walker, 79, has been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung condition that has made breathing increasingly difficult. Reflecting on his career in radio, Walker said: "It will be sad to say goodbye," after decades of “living together” and shared experiences with his loyal audience.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, he expressed “mixed emotions” but felt “sadness” about leaving the airwaves. He told listeners: “Myself and the radio listeners over the years, we've done an awful lot of living together... we've developed a very close bond. I get cards from people saying, ‘You’re the friend I’ve never met’ and things like that.”
For his final Sounds Of The 70s show on Sunday, Walker plans to play all of his favourite songs, diverging from his usual practice of taking listener requests, as a special send-off to his long-standing audience.
Born in Birmingham, Walker’s career began in pirate radio on Swinging Radio England in 1966 before he joined the offshore station Radio Caroline. After Radio Caroline closed, he moved to BBC Radio 1 in 1969, where he stayed until 1976 before a stint in San Francisco.
Returning to the BBC in the early 1980s, he became a mainstay on Radio 2, frequently broadcasting from his home in Dorset. Reflecting on the evolution of radio, Walker said he’s “not a big fan” of the trend of placing TV personalities in radio roles, saying: “Because you're good on TV doesn't automatically mean you're going to be good on the radio... we’re in the age of celebrity.”
During his final episode of The Rock Show on Friday, which he launched in 2018, Walker shared some of his “favourite rock anthems,” kicking off with “Sweet Jane” by Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner, and Lou Reed.
Longtime friend and former The Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris will take over Sounds Of The 70s starting November 3, while Shaun Keaveny will helm The Rock Show from November 1.
His fans and colleagues have since paid tribute to him on his last day at work. BBC Wales journalist Sue Charles wrote on X: “A sad day as Johnnie Walker hosts his final radio show. Millions of us will miss his warmth, love of music, the stars who sounded like mates… and you were our incorrigible, irreverent mate, who had all the best rock’n’roll stories. Sail on safely, Pirate JW.”
BBC DJ BobaFatt wrote: “Radio nerds, 3pm @BBCRadio2, it's the last Sounds of the 70s show hosted by Johnnie Walker MBE, as he hangs up his headphones after nearly 60 years in the game! From OG pirate Radio Caroline & beyond, a true broadcast legend.”
Music consultant Lee Thompson said: “A genuine British radio legend retires today after an incredible 58 years of broadcasting. Johnnie Walker present his final Sounds Of The 70s show at 3pm on @BBCRadio2@BBCSounds It’ll be two hours of pure emotion, so pour a large one, turn it up, and prepare to shed many tears.”