James Valentine, who spent more than two decades as the host of ABC Sydney Afternoons and became one of Australia’s most trusted radio voices, has died at age 64 at his home in Sydney, Australia.
His family announced that Valentine died April 22 through voluntary assisted dying, a decision made two years into his battle with esophageal cancer. He is survived by his wife, Joanne, and children, Ruby and Roy.
“James passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family, who adored him,” the family said in a statement. “Throughout his illness, James did it his way, which lasted all the way until the end when he made the choice to do voluntary assisted dying.”
Decades Behind the Microphone
Valentine’s radio career at the ABC spanned more than 30 years, with 25 of those years spent at 702 ABC Sydney. He began presenting Sydney Mornings after the network brought him to Sydney in 1998, though he later acknowledged struggling with the pressure to “sound more like a journalist” during that program’s hard news format. The following year, in 1999, he shifted to ABC Sydney Afternoons, where he would find his natural home.
Over more than 20 years on Afternoons, Valentine cultivated a broadcasting style marked by warmth and inclusivity rather than conflict. His approach earned the program a Bronze Award for Best Two-Way Telephone Talk/Interview Show at the New York Festivals Radio Awards in 2020.
“I think after a while people aren’t listening to the content; they’re listening to the friendship,” Valentine once said.
The ABC tapped him to replace Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck as host of Breakfast in late 2021, with his first show airing Dec. 13 that year. He returned to Afternoons two years later, circling back to the program that had always suited him best.
A Musical Beginning
Before his broadcasting career took off, Valentine built a substantial career as a saxophonist in Australia’s music scene. He joined Joe Camilleri’s Jo Jo Zep in 1982, then played with the Models between 1984 and 1987, and with Absent Friends from 1989 to 1990. He also recorded and toured with Pseudo Echo, Kate Ceberano, and Iva Davies during a busy period working with numerous Australian artists.
His work with the Models led to his induction into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2010, though by that point he had already established himself firmly in broadcasting.
Valentine’s transition to television began with “The Afternoon Show” on ABC TV, which he hosted from 1987 through 1990. The children’s program made him, according to a 1997 student newspaper profile, “a preteen, demi-god, hip big brother of our generation.” His crimson sneakers became iconic, but Valentine recognized when it was time to move on, declaring himself “past it” for children’s television.
He went on to host or appear on numerous programs, including serving as movie reviewer on Showtime for over a decade and making appearances on Good Morning Australia, Midday, Sunrise, and It Takes Two. He also presented TVTV and The Mix for the ABC. A fill-in position at 666 ABC Canberra during the mid-1990s proved to be the discovery of his calling in radio.
Sharing His Illness With Listeners
True to his open relationship with his audience, Valentine announced his esophageal cancer diagnosis on air in March 2024, then immediately interviewed his surgeon about the condition.
“It’s generally a jolly show, so let’s have a good time here for a few months rather than shade that whole time with my disease,” he told listeners at the time.
After stepping away for treatment, he returned in 2025. But in June 2025, he informed his audience that doctors had found tumors in his omentum. He departed the program again and announced his retirement from the ABC in February 2026.
As colleagues reflected following his death, Valentine’s multifaceted career as writer, television host, musician and radio presenter formed a coherent whole. He once described creating compelling talk radio as both a performance and a kind of music.
Days before his death, Valentine was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, recognizing his contributions to broadcasting, music, and Australian cultural life. ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks paid tribute, saying Valentine had been “a trusted companion for so many people, part of the rhythm of everyday life for generations of our Sydney audience” and “an exemplar of radio craft.” ABC Director of Audio Ben Latimer described him as “kind, curious and endlessly creative,” adding that his influence “will be felt across the ABC for many years to come.”
For nearly four decades, Australian audiences listened. And many, in his absence, will keep listening for him still.
