{"id":1522,"date":"2024-12-31T15:22:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T16:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/?p=1522"},"modified":"2025-01-01T12:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T12:50:13","slug":"johnnie-walkers-wife-tiggy-couldnt-be-more-proud-of-late-dj-in-heartfelt-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/31\/johnnie-walkers-wife-tiggy-couldnt-be-more-proud-of-late-dj-in-heartfelt-tribute\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnnie Walker\u2019s wife Tiggy \u2018couldn\u2019t be more proud\u2019 of late DJ in heartfelt tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T2M48S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2024\/12\/31\/16\/93623149-0-image-m-346_1735663832032.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2024-12-31T16:41:47+0000″,”description”:”The veteran BBC broadcaster retired in October due to ill health.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2024\/12\/31\/691280596668756969\/480x270_MP4_691280596668756969.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n

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\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Veteran Radio DJ and Sounds of The 70s show host Johnnie Walker has sadly died after a long illness at the age of 79, announces his wife Tiggy Walker.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Harris announced live on air at the beginning of his show on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds that Walker has passed away.<\/p>\n<p>Walker had worked in <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/radio\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">radio<\/a> for 58 years and had been previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).<\/p>\n<p>The DJ’s final Sounds Of The 70s show on <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/bbc-2\/\">BBC<\/a> Radio 2 and his last episode of <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/dwayne-johnson\/\">The Rock<\/a> Show took place in October as <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/10\/06\/johnnie-walker-steps-sounds-70s-rock-show-21744279\/\">he retired due to ill health.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In a tribute to her late husband, Tiggy Walker said: ‘I couldn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n<p>‘He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong amazing man. It has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>‘And if I may say – what a day to go. He\u2019ll be celebrating <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/new-year\/\">New Year<\/a>\u2019s 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.’<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22274395 lazyload\" alt=\"Johnnie Walker\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SEI_234630917-c528.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Johnnie Walker’s death has sadly been announced as his family pays tribute (Picture: BBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Radio 2, also paid tribute to the legendary radio host.<\/p>\n<p>‘Everyone at Radio 2 is heartbroken about the passing of Johnnie, a much-loved broadcasting legend.<\/p>\n<p>‘He made Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show appointments to listen to, sharing his personal memories and tales each week. He loved radio and inspired a generation of presenters, passionately promoting the artists and music he cared about so deeply.<\/p>\n<p>‘Johnnie\u2019s wry sense of humour and his warm, open style of presenting ensured he was adored by his audience. The airwaves simply won\u2019t be the same again. He will be very much missed by Radio 2 presenters, staff and listeners alike, and our thoughts are with his wife Tiggy and his children.’<\/p>\n<p>The DJ was born in Birmingham in March 1945, and left school when he was 15 to train to be a mechanic.<\/p>\n<p>In 1965 he began working for a pirate radio station and then worked on yet another pirate radio boat off the coast of Essex. Later, Walker consulted on the 2009 Richard Curtis movie The Boat That Rocked – a film about a fictional pirate radio station.<\/p>\n<p>In 1969 he joined the BBC Radio 1 for a Saturday afternoon show. Throughout his career, he was known for being outspoken and a pioneer who helped launch the careers of several bands into the mainstream.<\/p>\n<p>Walker was married to Frances Kum in 1971, which ended in divorce. He then married Tiggy Jarvis in December 2002. He had a daughter, Beth and a son, Sam.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"966\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22274402 lazyload\" alt=\"BBC Radio 1 Disc Jockey Johnnie Walker, 21.12.1971. (Photo by Avalon\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SEI_224679779-395e.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Walker had a decades-long career (Picture: Avalon\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During his life, Walker survived cancer, a burst intestine, a heart attack, and a triple bypass. In June 2024, he revealed on a special episode of Sounds Of The 70s that his IPS was ‘terminal’ and getting ‘progressively worse’.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of his life, Tiggy worked as his carer and he used an oxygen machine and was wheelchair bound. <\/p>\n<p>In an interview with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-13950425\/Radio-legend-Johnnie-Walkers-heartbreaking-final-interview.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daily Mail<\/a> earlier this year, the DJ revealed that he wasn’t afraid of dying as he faced his terminal illness.<\/p>\n<p>‘I\u2019m not worried about dying. I have an unshakeable belief in an afterlife. I think it\u2019s a beautiful place.<\/p>\n<p>‘Unless you\u2019ve done some awful things down here, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything to fear.<\/p>\n<p>‘What I am a little bit frightened of is what the end will be like when you\u2019re fighting for breath. It doesn\u2019t sound a very nice way to go.’<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"451\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22274403 lazyload\" alt=\"Mandatory Credit: Photo by Geoff Pugh\/REX\/Shutterstock (14546566g) Radio 2 presenter, Johnnie Walker, photographed in his Dorset home Radio 2 presenter, Johnnie Walker and his carer wife Tiggy in their Dorset home, UK - 18 Apr 2024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SEI_224679281-6b80.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Johnnie Walker has died age 79 (Picture: Geoff Pugh\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Announcing his retirement earlier this year Walker said: \u2018The struggles I\u2019ve 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\u2019ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years.’<\/p>\n<p>He added at the time, that he would make his final show (which took place on October 27) ‘\u2018as good as I possibly can.’<\/p>\n<p>Tiggy told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/radio\/radio-presenters\/johnnie-tiggy-walker-radio-2-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Telegraph<\/a> in June this year that she<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/06\/10\/bbc-legend-johnnie-walker-79-completely-housebound-still-hosting-radio-show-21005490\/\"> planned to never love again after her husband’s death.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I can\u2019t imagine what it will be like with Johnnie not being here, but I will also be in charge of my life again. A bit of me is excited about that,’ she said.<\/p>\n<p>‘There will be no one after Johnnie. Because how could anyone follow him?’<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"796\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22274401 lazyload\" alt=\"File photo dated 24\/02\/06 of BBC Radio 2 veteran DJ Johnnie Walker in the quadrangle of Buckingham Palace in London, after collecting an MBE for services to broadcasting. Terminally-ill DJ 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. Issue date: Saturday October 12, 2024. PA Photo. The BBC radio presenter announced earlier in the month that he was retiring from radio after 58 years due to ill health, having been previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The 79-year-old told listeners he was stepping down from presenting Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show on BBC Radio 2 at the end of October. See PA story SHOWBIZ Walker. Photo credit should read: Fiona Hanson\/PA Wire\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SEI_225369878-2169.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The radio presenter stepped away from his BBC role in October (Picture: Fiona Hanson\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During his final show on the airwaves Walker told listeners: ‘Here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sunday afternoon\u2019s Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years on British radio.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless any more. But also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain, really, trying to find the breath to do programmes.<\/p>\n<p>‘So thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love, and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you.’<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T2M48S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2024\/12\/31\/16\/93623149-0-image-m-346_1735663832032.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2024-12-31T16:41:47+0000″,”description”:”The veteran BBC broadcaster retired in October due to ill health.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2024\/12\/31\/691280596668756969\/480x270_MP4_691280596668756969.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) { return; } var player…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1522"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1528,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522\/revisions\/1528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmediaintrovert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}