Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
DJ Johnnie Walker has hosted his final episode of BBC Radio 2’s The Rock Show ahead of his retirement from radio after 58 years.
Addressing his departure, Johnnie told listeners on Friday night: "I began this programme in 2018, we have had many guests choosing their Rock God - Brian May, Angus Young, the Foo Fighters - but tonight it's my turn."
As well as stepping down from The Rock Show, Johnnie will also say goodbye to Sounds Of The 70s on Sunday (October 27).
The BBC radio presenter announced earlier this month that he was retiring due to ill health, having been previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Walker said his condition, which causes the lungs to become scarred and makes breathing increasingly more difficult, is "terminal" and getting "progressively worse". He also credited his radio shows, saying he would "probably die a lot sooner" without them.
READ MORE: Inside BBC Radio 2 legend Johnnie Walker's health as presenter quits
Johnnie Walker is retiring after 58 years as a broadcaster. (Image: Getty)Announcing his retirement during his Sound Of The 70s show, the 79-year-old told listeners: "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.
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He also confirmed that Bob Harris will be taking over Sounds Of The 70s from November 3.
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Speaking about taking over from Walker, Harris said: "I am proud and honoured to be taking over a BBC Radio 2 institution from a true broadcasting great.
"Johnnie and I have been friends since my years presenting Old Grey Whistle Test and the original Sounds Of The 70s and I will do everything I can to maintain his legacy and curate the programme with the very best music from that incredible decade."
Shaun Keaveny will become the new presenter of The Rock Show from November 1.
Johnnie Walker has said he is "not worried about dying", but has shared his fears about what his last moments may be like due to his health condition.
window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20241022.min.js"Johnnie Walker with his wife, Tiggy. (Image: Getty)He told the Daily Mail: "I'm not worried about dying. I have an unshakeable belief in an after-life. I think it's a beautiful place. Unless you've done some awful things down here, I don't think there's anything to fear.
"What I am a little bit frightened of is what the end will be like when you're fighting for breath. It doesn't sound a very nice way to go."
Walker is wheelchair-bound and relies on oxygen from a machine, with his wife of more than two decades, Tiggy, caring for him.
The NHS website says it is not clear what causes IPF 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".
Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
Johnnie Walker bids farewell to BBC Radio show as terminally ill DJ retires after 58 years
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