Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, along with Johnnie Walker’s former colleagues from BBC Radio 2, came together to honor the late DJ at his funeral in Shaftesbury.
Walker passed away at the age of 79 in December, with the announcement of his death made on New Year’s Eve by Bob Harris, who took over hosting Walker’s Sounds Of The 70s show in November.
For the past three decades, he lived with his wife Tiggy in a 17th-century farmhouse in the north Dorset town, where he also broadcast his beloved radio show.
An enthusiastic rider of American motorcycles, Walker was honored with a “ride of honour” by fellow bikers, a tradition for deceased riders.
Among those in attendance were Simon Mayo, who spent nearly twenty years with BBC Radio 2 before leaving in 2018, along with radio luminaries Bob Harris, Jeremy Vine, and Tony Blackburn.
Dressed in black and dark blue, Plant had previously praised Walker in December, describing him as “a defender and gatekeeper of great musical taste, a cool, kind man who kept the bar high for all of us who loved him.”
Walker had 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).
Also in attendance were BBC and ITV sports presenter John Inverdale, former BBC presenter Suzi Perry, radio host Paul Gambaccini, BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley, and actress Pippa Haywood from Green Wing.
He delivered a heartfelt rendition of his song Gone But Not Forgotten, a piece he also shared at the memorial for the former Countdown host Richard Whiteley.
On December 31, Tiggy Walker paid tribute to her late husband, remarking that he remained his “charming, humorous self to the end”, and expressed, “bless that extraordinary husband of mine, who is now in a place of peace”.
The illness that Walker suffered from, IPF, leads to lung scarring and progressively worsening breathing difficulties. According to the NHS, there is “currently no treatment” that can halt or reverse this condition.