Johnnie Walker closes final BBC show after saying it’s the day he’s ‘always dreaded’

DJ Johnnie Walker has told listeners ‘may we locomotion into the aboriginal with our heads held precocious and happiness successful our hearts’ arsenic helium closed his last radio amusement which featured messages from his woman Tiggy and Sir Rod Stewart.

The seasoned presenter, 79, signed disconnected his last Sounds Of The 70s amusement connected BBC Radio 2 connected Sunday day aft helium hosted his past occurrence of The Rock Show connected Friday by playing immoderate of his ‘favourite stone anthems’.

Walker announced earlier successful the period that helium was retiring from vigor aft 58 years owed to sick health, having been antecedently diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

He said astatine the time: ‘The struggles I’ve had with doing the amusement and trying to benignant of support up a nonrecreational modular suitable for Radio 2 has been getting much and much difficult, hence my small jokes astir Puffing Billy, truthful I’ve had to marque the determination that I request to bring my vocation to an extremity aft 58 years.’

After playing Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, helium closed his amusement contiguous by saying: ‘Here we are astatine the extremity of a 15-year tally connected Sunday afternoon’s Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years connected British radio.

‘It’s going to beryllium precise unusual not to beryllium connected the wireless anymore. But also, by the aforesaid token, beingness volition beryllium somewhat little of a strain, really, trying to find the enactment to bash programmes.

‘So convey you for being with maine each these years and instrumentality bully attraction of yourself and those you love, and whitethorn we locomotion into the aboriginal with our heads held precocious and happiness successful our hearts. God bless you.’

He began his amusement earlier this afternoon, saying ‘the time has travel I’ve ever dreaded’.

Opening his past edition, helium told listeners: ‘Good afternoon, Johnnie Walker here.

‘The time has travel I’ve ever dreaded, really, my past ever vigor show, and astir certainly, my past Sounds Of The 70s.’

Walker’s information causes the lungs to go scarred and makes breathing progressively difficult, according to the NHS.

For his last opus helium played Judy Collins’ mentation of Amazing Grace aft opening with George Harrison’s way What Is Life.

Walker archetypal started moving successful vigor successful 1966 earlier moving to BBC Radio 1, wherever helium hosted a fashionable lunchtime show.

Since 2009, helium has hosted Radio 2’s Sounds of the 70s and launched The Rock Show successful 2018.

Reflecting connected his years connected the airwaves, Walker said: ‘It was conscionable large spending Sunday afternoons with you and it’s going to beryllium precise unusual for maine adjacent Sunday day astatine 3 o’clock to deliberation that I won’t beryllium speaking to you. It’ll beryllium idiosyncratic else, namely Bob Harris, who’ll beryllium doing Sounds Of The 70s.

‘So I’ll miss you a batch and it’s been large connecting up for each these years. We’ve done a batch of surviving together, you and I.’

Walker chose each his favourite songs for his past amusement but dedicated his 2nd track, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, to Sounds Of The 70s listeners.

He added 1 past opus to Johnnie’s Jukebox – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird – earlier sealing it everlastingly and joking that helium would springiness it to SpaceX brag Elon Musk truthful it could beryllium sent to space.

Other tracks to diagnostic included Sir Elton John and Kiki Dee’s Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Neil Diamond’s Holy Holy and Sir Rod’s Sailing.

Sir Rod sent a pre-recorded connection to Walker to convey him for helping the careers of galore stone bands implicit the years.

He said: ‘Hi Johnny, it’s Rod Stewart here. I person to convey you, my man, convey you from the bottommost of my bosom for playing not lone my songs but The Faces and conscionable astir each different stone set successful the satellite connected your fantastic amusement implicit the years.

‘By doing so, you propelled the careers of a clump of chartless layabouts to the apical of the charts, and overnight fame and everything that goes with it.

‘It goes without saying, without your support, we ne'er whitethorn person got there.’

The stone prima ended the connection by making Walker an offer, saying: ‘So if I bash negociate to get done the pearly gates, I’ll person a pint of Guinness, delight mate, and conjecture what? I’ll prime up the tab. See you later, Johnnie. Rock connected mate, stone on.’

Later successful the show, Walker’s woman Tiggy praised him for continuing to broadcast aft helium became ‘very ill’ successful January.

Tiggy, who has been joined to the vigor DJ for much than 2 decades, spent 5 months presenting alongside her hubby during lockdown.

As she sat successful connected his past amusement connected Sunday afternoon, she told him: ‘I deliberation you should besides beryllium arrogant astir however agelong you person gone connected broadcasting this year.

‘You fell very, precise sick successful January this year, and I didn’t deliberation you’d beryllium doing shows into February. You’ve kept going for 10 months.

‘I cognize it’s been truly hard for you. I’m the 1 idiosyncratic who knows however hard it’s been for you, and I conscionable privation to accidental good done for keeping going arsenic agelong arsenic you have, due to the fact that you marque a batch of radical precise happy.

‘And I cognize determination volition beryllium a batch of tears retired determination today, including mine.’

Walker admitted helium mightiness shed a teardrop oregon 2 arsenic good arsenic helium thanked her for each her ‘wonderful care’, adding: ‘I surely couldn’t person done the amusement without that truthful convey you for that.’

Earlier this year, Walker said his condition, which causes the lungs to go scarred and makes breathing progressively much difficult, is ‘terminal’ and getting ‘progressively worse’.

He besides credited his vigor shows, saying helium would ‘probably dice a batch sooner’ without them.

Former Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris is to instrumentality implicit Sounds Of The 70s from November 3, and Shaun Keaveny volition go the caller presenter of The Rock Show connected November 1.

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