Johnnie Walker, a well-known radio DJ, sadly passed away at the age of 79. His funeral was attended by prominent figures such as Tony Blackburn, Jeremy Vine, and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
The service took place at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury, Dorset, at 11 am. It was a time for friends and colleagues to gather and honor Walker, who was famous for hosting BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show.
During the service, Walker’s widow, Tiggy Walker, stood out in her vibrant pink trouser suit. She appeared cheerful as she entered the church for the private ceremony.
Also arriving this morning were Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, motorsports journalist Suzi Perry, radio presenter Simon Mayo and broadcaster John Inverdale.
They were joined in chilly temperatures of 6C (43F) by BBC radio hosts Jo Whiley and Bob Harris, with the latter having announced Walker’s death live on air on Radio 2 on New Year’s Eve, having taken over presenting Sounds of the 70s in November.
At the end of October, Walker presented his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show as he retired due to ill health.
Walker had announced in early October that he was retiring from radio after 58 years, having been previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Tony Blackburn arrives at Johnnie Walker’s funeral at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury today
Jeremy Vine arrives at the funeral at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury, Dorset, this morning
Led Zeppelin rocker Robert Plant arrives at the funeral of DJ Johnnie Walker in Dorset today
(From left) Bob Harris, Suzi Perry and Tony Blackburn arrive at Johnnie Walker’s funeral today
Plant, who arrived at the church in black and dark blue clothing today, previously paid tribute to Walker, saying he was ‘a defender and gatekeeper of great musical taste, a cool, kind man who kept the bar high for all of us who loved him’.
Wakeman said on X yesterday that he was ‘very proud’ that Tiggy, who cared for him during his lung disease condition and helped with producing his radio show at home, had asked him to perform at the funeral.
He will perform a rendition of his track Gone But Not Forgotten, which he also played at the memorial of former Countdown host Richard Whiteley.
In a tribute to Walker last month, Tiggy said: ‘I couldn’t be more proud of Johnnie – how he kept broadcasting almost to the end and with what dignity and grace he coped with his debilitating lung disease.
‘He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong, amazing man. It has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
‘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.’
The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news of Johnnie’s passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends, as well as everyone at Radio 2.
‘Johnnie was a pop radio pioneer and a champion of great music, entertaining millions of beloved listeners on the BBC across decades, most recently hosting two shows on Radio 2.
The coffin of DJ Johnnie Walker arrives at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury, Dorset, today
John Inverdale arrives at the funeral of DJ Johnnie Walker at St Peter’s Church this morning
Simon Mayo arrives at the funeral of DJ Johnnie Walker at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury
BBC Radio 2 veteran DJ Johnnie Walker died aged 79 on December 31, 2024
‘No one loved the audience as much as Johnnie and we loved him back.’
Walker was born in Birmingham and left school at the age of 15 to train to become a mechanic, later taking a job as a car salesman.
He found an outlet for his passion for music with a Friday night slot as a disco DJ under the name Peter Dee.
Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station.
He later moved to Radio Caroline, where he became a household name hosting the hugely popular night-time show.
Walker went on to join BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976, with him later moving to San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly show broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.
He returned to the UK in the 80s and presented Radio 1’s Saturday Stereo Sequence.
After working on various BBC stations, he left Radio 1 for good in 1995 and three years later he was offered his own weekly show on Radio 2, before taking over Drivetime.
He earned a reputation as a DJ who accorded more importance to the records he played than the chat between tracks, with names he pioneered including Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles.
In October 2003, Walker underwent chemotherapy and an emergency operation for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He told his listeners live on air of the diagnosis and later revealed that he ‘died’ on the operating table three times during surgery to repair his burst intestine.
The condition IPF is one ‘in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult’, according to the NHS.
The NHS website says it is not clear what causes the condition and that treatments can reduce the rate at which it worsens, but that there is ‘currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs’.
