BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker died aged 79, after a long battle with lung disease, but the star's illness sadly forced him off-air prior to his death.

Johnnie Walker has been the subject of tributes following the news of his death and former BBC Radio 2 colleague Ken Bruce was among those who reacted to the news

Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, it has been announced...

Former pirate radio DJ Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79. The radio presenter hosted Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show on BBC Radio 2 and had recently been battling health issues.

Walker had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPS), a terminal condition which causes the lungs to become scarred and makes breathing difficult.

Legendary radio DJ Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79. He was previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and announced his retirement plans from radio earlier this year.

The show which will air on Boom Radio on Thursday will see former Radio Caroline presenter Roger Day and others pay their respects.

Walker first rose to fame among British music fans as a disc jockey on pirate station Radio Caroline in the Sixties, and later became a favourite among BBC listeners, even if he did hate the Bay City

Johnnie Walker, a former BBC Radio 2 DJ known for hosting the "Sounds of the 70s" show, died Monday. He was 79. The news was announced live on the station by Bob Harris, who took over Johnnie Walker's role on the radio show back in October.

Johnnie Walker, who has died aged 79, was a rebellious, scandal-prone but immensely popular radio disc jockey for more than half a century, making his name in the 1960s on Radio Caroline, the pirate radio station which broadcast from a ship off the Essex coast,

BBC Radio 1 legend Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, it has been announced. His wife Tiggie said: "I couldn’t 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.