Tag: Motorcycle

Motorcycle enthusiasts paid their respects to BBC radio personality Johnnie Walker by joining his funeral procession as he was laid to rest.

Among the attendees at St Peter’s Church in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on Friday were Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, and Walker’s former colleagues from BBC Radio 2.

After the memorial service, friends and family, including Walker’s wife Tiggy—who wore pink—gathered to witness a cortege of Harley Davidson riders escorting the DJ’s hearse.

His passing at the age of 79 was announced on Radio 2 by Bob Harris on New Year’s Eve, who had taken over Walker’s Sounds Of The 70s show in November.

Following the service, Radio 2 presenters Tony Blackburn and Jeremy Vine conversed alongside their former colleague Ken Bruce, who left the BBC in 2023 to join Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio.

Present at the funeral were BBC and ITV sports presenter John Inverdale, former BBC radio host Simon Mayo, Harris, radio personality Paul Gambaccini, BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley, and Green Wing actress Pippa Haywood.

Walker retired due to health issues, stepping away from his Radio 2 show The Rock Show last October after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Wakeman had previously played a song at the memorial for former Countdown host Richard Whiteley.

On December 31, Tiggy honored him by recalling his “charming, humorous self to the end,” adding, “bless that extraordinary husband of mine, who is now in a place of peace.”

According to the NHS, Walker’s condition, IPF, is one in which “the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult,” and currently “no treatment” is available to stop or reverse it.