BBC Radio legend's plans for final shows as doctor tells him he could 'die at any moment'
Johnnie Walker
BBC Radio legend Johnnie Walker has revealed that he may only have a short time to live after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The condition, which is incurable, is when the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult.
Johnnie, 79, now requires 24-hour care and is reliant on an oxygen machine. He is also wheelchair bound meaning he has been broadcasting his radio shows from his home in Dorset.
The disc jockey has been at the helm Sounds of the 70s for nearly 15 years and will speak to his loyal listeners about his illness for the first time this Sunday (June 16).
Revealing which song he has chosen to begin with, Johnnie told The Telegraph: "Smokey Robinson's Tears of a Clown.
"But not for any particular reason except that it's a great song."
Johnnie Walker and his wife Tiggy
The reality that he will one day present his final show is not lost on him, and Johnnie says he plans to be more "sentimental" about his song choices as that sad day approaches.
He continued: "I'm not yet at the stage where I've become sentimental about my choice of records. When I realise that I'm broadcasting my very last few shows, it might happen then."
After a career spanning almost 60 years, Johnnie remains determined not to retire despite his illness, quipping that he "needs the money".
The father-of-two explained to the publication: "For many people, Sounds of the 70s is part of their Sunday afternoon. As long as I can keep doing the show I will. It gives me a purpose.
"If I stopped doing it I'd probably die a lot sooner. Anyway, when you play records you are bringing back memories for people as well as playing records that they love."
Earlier this week, Johnnie revealed that doctors have warned him he could "die at any moment". When he was diagnosed in 2019, he was given a two-to-five-year prognosis. He will hit the five-year mark in August.
His wife of 22 years addressed being his full-time carer, saying: "I'm so tired. Sometimes I find it hard to go on."
She added on their BBC Sounds podcast: "It was only by going to the doctors and going on antidepressants that I have kept going, because I was crying every single day and I was overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of everything I had to do."
In the episode, Johnnie admitted to having "only a finite amount of time left here in the physical before I pass over".
He gushed about his wife, saying she "lovingly helps me get into bed and gives me a nice kiss good night, and then she has to wonder whether I'm still going to be alive in the morning, which must be pretty hard for her".
Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker is on BBC Radio 2 every Sunday from 3pm.
The BBC publishes the salaries of its highest earners every year in its annual report.
The top five in 2021-22 were:
1. Gary Lineker - £1,350,000
2. Zoe Ball - £980,000
3. Alan Shearer - £450,000
4. Steve Wright - £450,000
5. Stephen Nolan - £415,000