DJ Johnnie Walker ends 58-year career with last BBC show

Veteran DJ Johnnie Walker mentioned “the day has come I’ve always dreaded” as he offered his closing Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2.

The presenter, 79, introduced earlier within the month he was retiring from radio after 58 years on account of in poor health well being.

For his closing broadcast on Sunday, Walker confirmed he wouldn’t be taking any requests this time as all of the music decisions could be made by himself, including: “I’m playing all the ones I love.”

An emotional closing show featured messages from his spouse Tiggy and Sir Rod Stewart, earlier than Walker ended by telling listeners “may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts”.

Walker turned the presenter of Sounds of the 70s in 2009, however his career in British radio has spanned nearly six a long time.

After opening his last show with George Harrison’s monitor What Is Life, Walker then devoted his second music, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, to his listeners.

Walker was joined on air by his former co-presenter Sally Boazman, who mentioned being partnered with him was the “best luck” of her life.

The pair labored collectively on BBC Radio 2 Drivetime for seven years from 1999.

In a pre-recorded message, Sir Rod Stewart praised Walker for serving to the careers of many rock bands.

Sir Rod instructed Walker he had “propelled the careers of a bunch of unknown layabouts to the top of the charts, and overnight fame and everything that goes with it”.

The rock star ended the message by making Walker a suggestion: “So if I do manage to get through the pearly gates, I’ll have a pint of Guinness, please mate, and guess what? I’ll pick up the tab. See you later, Johnny. Rock on mate, rock on.”

Walker joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969 having been a DJ on the pirate station Radio Caroline within the Nineteen Sixties.

He left the BBC in 1976 and later moved to San Francisco, the place he recorded a weekly show broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.

He returned to the BBC within the Nineteen Eighties and on 17 January 1987, Walker re-joined Radio 1, presenting the Saturday afternoon show The Stereo Sequence.

He has remained on the BBC ever since, and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show on Friday by enjoying a few of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker’s spouse Tiggy, who sat in on the show because it aired from their residence in Dorset, praised her husband for persevering with to broadcast after he turned “very ill” in January.

The radio legend was identified with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a extreme respiratory sickness that may make respiration very troublesome.

“I’m the one person who knows how hard it’s been for you, and I just want to say well done for keeping going as long as you have, because you make a lot of people very happy,” Tiggy added.

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

Walker admitted he would possibly shed a tear or two in addition to he thanked her for all her “wonderful care”, including: “I certainly couldn’t have done the show without that so thank you for that.”

After saying his retirement, Walker instructed the BBC: “I get cards from people saying: ‘You’re the friend I’ve never met’ and things like that. So it will be sad to say goodbye.”

Bob Harris will taking up from Walker because the presenter of Sounds of the 70s in November.