Radio legend John Laws emotionally signs off after 71 years on air: ‘I will really miss you’

It was the end of an era on Thursday as broadcasting icon John Laws left the airwaves for the final time.

The veteran broadcaster, 89, revealed he said goodbye to his 71-year career in radio last month and has now signed off on his last ever show.

In an emotional farewell, the man dubbed ‘golden almonds’ said that while he was ‘sad’ at the prospect of leaving, he had no complaints about his departure from air.

“I’ll really miss you,” John said sweetly to his loyal listeners.

‘And I will miss all the memories that have gone before me in all those years, it’s been a long time.

‘I have no reason to complain. It’s obviously sad to say goodbye, and I’m obviously sad to say goodbye,” he added.

Speak with Confidential After his final show, John admitted it felt bittersweet to say goodbye to his long career.

“I feel a little sad, but I feel OK,” he said.

‘It will probably bother me for the next two days, but I have no right to complain at all.

“I’ve had a great life, a great career and a great family, so I’m doing well, but this is the end.”

John also joked that he will miss all the attention from talking to his guests on air, as he described himself as a “spoiled brat.”

‘I’ll miss the attention because I’m a very spoiled child and I like a bit of attention, so maybe once a month we can send some people in to talk to me, can we do that? he joked.

The veteran radio announcer announced on 2SM in October that he would hang up his headphones on November 8.

He made the announcement live on air after reading a letter from a listener who wanted to thank him for years of on-air entertainment.

“You won’t be hearing it for much longer mate, I think it’s time to rest I guess,” he said.

‘I did it for a very, very, very, very long time. 70 years, is that long enough? It’s long enough.’

John said he felt the time was right and he won’t change his mind.

‘I would have done it for 71 years. The first week of November will be 71 years since I started radio,” he said.

‘I don’t want to be greedy, I’ve had 71 fantastic years. I enjoyed almost every minute of it.

‘I still feel young, I still feel healthy. If I call it a day, it will be a day. I’m not going to leave and then come back and say it was all a mistake.”

John revealed that he plans to travel and read during his well-deserved retirement.

At the time, 2SM’s Instagram account shared a montage of the radio icon at various stages of his long and storied career.

‘What a day! And what seventy years it has been,” the caption read.

“To all of John’s loyal listeners, thank you for keeping the dream alive! And thank you to everyone who contributed to today’s show.”

John began his career in radio in 1953 at 3BO in Bendigo and his unique style earned the broadcaster the nickname ‘The Golden Tonsils’.

After four years at 3BO, he moved to metro broadcaster 2UE, where he became one of the first DJs to play rock ‘n’ roll music.

In 2007 he left radio for four years and returned to the airwaves on 2SM in 2011.

John recently took a short period away from his 2SM show while spending an extended period in hospital.

After seeking medical care for a blocked ear, his health rapidly deteriorated and he was admitted to St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney for three weeks.

He had contracted pneumonia, but later revealed that he was thankfully on the mend.

“I’m alive, I’m doing well, I’m happy,” he told The Saturday Telegraph at the time.

In 2022, he took periods of leave from his radio gig after suffering from respiratory infections.

Despite this, John had told the publication that he had no plans to retire and would remain on air for another two years.

“I turn on the mic and the board fills up every day and I’m back, on the air, doing what I love to do,” he said. ‘Why should I stop?’

Host Dave Cochrane filled in for John on his 2SM show while he was in hospital.

John lost his wife Caroline to cancer in February 2020 after 40 years of marriage.