Former BBC Radio 2 DJ dies at the age of 79

Radio presenter Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, two months after calling time on his 58-year career because of ill health.

DJ Bob Harris, who took over BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the 70s show after Walker’s retirement, announced his former colleague’s death live on the station on Tuesday.

Walker had pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs, a condition which makes breathing difficult.

He stepped down from presenting Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show, also on Radio 2, at the end of October.

Walker had announced live on air earlier in October that he would be hanging up his microphone to retire.

He explained the reason he was retiring after reading out a letter from a listener whose dad had loved the show, but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis.

“Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement,” he said.

“The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end.”

Walker’s last episode of The Rock Show aired on 25 October, and his final episode of Sounds of the 70s was broadcast on 27 October.

At the end of his final show, Walker said: “[It’s] going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. Also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain really, trying to find the breath in order to do the programmes.”

“Thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you.”

With Harris taking the helm for Sounds of the 70s, Shaun Keaveny took the reins for Walker’s Rock Show.

Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to Radio Caroline.

He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, and joined Radio 2 in 1997 where he remained until his retirement.

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