Johnnie Walker, legendary BBC Radio presenter, dies aged 79
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Walker first rose to fame among British music fans as a disc jockey on pirate station Radio Caroline in the Sixties, and later became a favourite among BBC listeners, even if he did hate the Bay City Rollers. Popular radio presenter Johnnie Walker, a former pirate radio DJ who began his career with the BBC in 1969, has died aged 79.
![[Johnnie Walker with his Radio Caroline colleague Robbie Dale arriving in Felixstowe on 15 August 1967]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/15/15/GettyImages-872054720.jpg)
The veteran DJ had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and announced his retirement from radio, after a career spanning almost 60 years, in October 2024. His wife, Tiggy Walker said she “couldn’t be more proud” of her husband and “how he kept broadcasting almost to the end and with what dignity and grace he coped with his debilitating lung disease”.
![[The BBC stood by Johnnie Walker after a listener complained about his hatred of the Bay City Rollers]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/07/08/newFile-3.jpg)
“He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong amazing man. It has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish,” she said in a statement. “And if I may say - what a day to go. He’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a stash of great musicians in heaven. One year on from his last live show. God bless that extraordinary husband of mine who is now in a place of peace.”.
![[DJ Johnnie Walker stepped down from his role as a BBC Radio presenter in October 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/12/10/1761f5decd5508cede90b7414273fa85Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzI4ODEwODAw-2.2946587.jpg)
BBC director general Tim Davie described Walker as a “pop radio pioneer and champion of great music”, adding: “No-one loved the audience as much as Johnnie, and we loved him back.”. Walker had previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition in which “the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes difficult”.
