Inside Johnnie Walker’s battle with debilitating lung disease which forced BBC radio legend to end 58-year career
JOHNNIE Walker has died aged 79 following a long battle with a debilitating illness.
The radio legend stepped down from BBC Radio 2 after 58 years in broadcasting in October earlier this year due to his ill health.
It came after he had been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Announcing his decision to quit, he said: “Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement.
“The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy.
“So I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years.”
Having worked for the BBC since 1969, he had fronted both Sounds of the 70s and The Radio 2 Rock Show when he made the announcement.
His first health scare came in 2003 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the colon.
Johnnie then suffered a heart attack in 2019 and had to undergo a triple heart bypass.
A year later, he was diagnosed with IPF – a condition where inflation of the lungs means breathing becomes difficult.
His health had deteriorated to the point he was having to present his radio shows from his home in Dorset.
It allowed him to continue receiving round-the-clock care from his wife Tiggy.
Speaking during Carers Week earlier this year, she revealed what life had been like for the couple since after his diagnosis.
In a heartbreaking segment on their BBC Sounds podcast Tiggy admitted: “I’m so tired. Sometimes I find it hard to go on.”
Medical consultants previously told the couple that Johnnie should “prepare to go at any moment”.
Johnnie also revealed how the couple had been forced to sleep in different rooms as a result of his needs and sleeping with an oxygen mask.
Paying tribute today, 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.”
Johnnie’s diagnosis came a decade after Tiggy had been enduring her own cancer battle.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, with Johnnie having to care for his wife.
His career began in 1966 when he appeared on offshore pirate station Swinging Radio England.
Johnnie then became a household name by hosting the popular night-time show on Radio Caroline.
The star then joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969 and continued until 1976, becoming known for his music-centric approach.
In 1976 he chose to leave the BBC in order to go to California and work in San Francisco.
But he returned to the UK 10 years later, coming back to Radio 1.
In 1997, Johnnie join Radio 2 to present documentaries and fill in for other shows across the schedule.