Johnnie Walker closes his last radio show: May we walk with our heads held high

DJ Johnnie Walker told listeners “let us walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts” as he closed his latest radio show which included messages from his wife Tiggy and Sir Rod Stewart.

The veteran presenter, 79, signed off on his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoon after presenting his final episode of The Rock Show on Friday playing some of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker announced earlier this month that he was retiring from radio after 58 years due to health issues, having previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

After playing I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash, he closed the show by saying: “Here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sunday afternoon Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years on British radio.

“It’s going to be very strange not to be on the radio anymore. But also, by the same token, life will be a little less exhausting, actually, trying to find the breath to do shows.

“So thank you for being with me all these years and taking good care of yourself and your loved ones, and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless him.”

Walker’s condition causes his lungs to scar and makes breathing increasingly difficult, according to the NHS.

For her final song, she played Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace after opening with George Harrison’s What Is Life.

Reflecting on his years on the airwaves, Walker said: “It was great spending Sunday afternoons with you and it will be very strange for me next Sunday at 3pm to think I won’t be talking to you. It will be someone else, namely Bob Harris, who will do Sounds Of The 70s.

“I will miss you so much and it has been great connecting over the years. We have lived a lot together, you and I.

Birmingham-born Walker started out in pirate radio with Swinging Radio England in 1966 before moving to offshore station Radio Caroline.

He left, after the station closed, for BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976 and then moving to San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly program broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.

In the early 1980s, he returned to the BBC and has remained there ever since. For several years he has broadcast regularly from his home in Dorset.

Walker chose all his favorite songs for his final show, but dedicated his second song, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, to Sounds Of The 70s listeners.

He added one last song to Johnnie’s Jukebox, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, before sealing it forever and joking that he would give it to SpaceX boss Elon Musk so he could send it to space.

Other songs featured included Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Sir Elton John and Kiki Dee, Holy Holy by Neil Diamond and Sailing by Sir Rod.

Sir Rod sent a pre-recorded message to Walker to thank him for helping the careers of many rock bands over the years.

He said: “Hi Johnny, I’m Rod Stewart. I have to thank you, friend, thank you from the bottom of my heart for playing not only my songs but also The Faces and almost every other rock band in the world on your wonderful show over the years.

“In doing so, you propelled the careers of a group of unknown slackers to the top of the charts, and to overnight fame and everything that comes with it.

“Needless to say, without their support, we may never have gotten there.”

The rock star ended the message by making Walker an offer, saying: “So if I make it through the pearly gates I’ll have a pint of Guinness please mate, and guess what? I will pay the bill. See you later, Johnnie. Keep rocking, man, keep rocking.”

Later in the show, Walker’s wife, Tiggy, praised him for continuing to broadcast after he became “very sick” in January.

Tiggy, who has been married to the radio DJ for more than two decades, spent five months presenting alongside her husband during lockdown.

While attending his last show on Sunday afternoon, he told her: “I think you should also be proud of how long you’ve been broadcasting this year.

“You got very, very sick in January of this year and I didn’t think you’d be doing shows until February. You’ve kept it up for 10 months.

“I know it has been very difficult for you. I’m the only person who knows how difficult it has been for you, and I just want to tell you that congratulations for keeping going for so long, because you make a lot of people very happy.

“And I know there will be a lot of tears today, including mine.”

Walker admitted he might shed a tear or two and thanked her for all her “wonderful attention,” adding, “I certainly couldn’t have done the show without that, so thank you for that.”

His former colleague Sally Boazman also joined him on air to say that working with him on the show Drivetime from 1999 to 2006 was “the best luck of my life.”

“I just want to say thank you for everything. We had a lot of fun. And Johnnie, I will never ever forget you,” he added.

Former Old Gray Whistle Test host Bob Harris will take over Sounds Of The 70s from November 3, and Shaun Keaveny will become the new host of The Rock Show on November 1.