“We can walk away with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts,” DJ Johnnie Walker told listeners as he closed his latest radio show with messages from wife Tiggy and Sir Rod Stewart.

The 79-year-old veteran presenter made his final Sounds Of The 70s appearance on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoon, after hosting the latest episode of The Rock Show on Friday, playing some of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker announced earlier in the month that he would be retiring from radio after 58 years due to health issues, previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

After playing Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, he closed the program with the following words: “Here we come to the end of the 15-year run of Sounds Of The 70s and 58 Years, which aired on British radio on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s going to be weird not being on wifi anymore. But equally, life will be a little less challenging when you’re trying to find the breathing room to make programs.

“Thank you for being with me for all these years, take care of yourself and your loved ones, let’s walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. May god protect you.”

According to the NHS, Walker’s condition causes injury to the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult.

In her last song, she opened with George Harrison’s What Is Life and then played Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace.

Reflecting on his years on the air, Walker said: “It was wonderful to spend Sunday afternoons with you, and it will be very strange for me to think that I won’t be talking to you at 3 o’clock next Sunday afternoon. It will be someone else, Bob Harris, who will produce Sounds Of The 70s.

“So I’m going to miss you so much and it’s been great connecting with you all these years. You and I have lived a lot together.”

Birmingham-born Walker started in pirate radio with Swinging Radio England in 1966, before moving to overseas station Radio Caroline.

After the station closed he went to BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976 and then moving to San Francisco where he recorded a weekly program broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.

He returned to the BBC in the early 1980s and has remained there ever since. He has been broadcasting regularly from his home in Dorset for several years.

Walker chose all her favorite songs for her latest show, but dedicated her second track, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, to Sounds Of The 70s listeners.

He added one last song to Johnnie’s Jukebox: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird, which he sealed away forever and joked that he would give it to SpaceX boss Elon Musk so it could be sent into space.

Other standouts included Sir Elton John and Kiki Dee’s Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Neil Diamond’s Holy Holy and Sir Rod’s Sailing.

Sir Rod sent Walker a pre-recorded message to thank him for helping the careers of many rock bands over the years.

He said: “Hi Johnny, I’m Rod Stewart. I have to thank you man, thank you from the bottom of my heart for playing not only my songs but The Faces and pretty much every rock band in the world on your wonderful show over the years.

“By doing this, you propelled the careers of a bunch of unknown punks to the top of the charts, achieving overnight fame and everything that goes with it.

“Needless to say, without your support we might never have gotten there.”

The rock star concluded the message with an offer to Walker, saying: “So if I manage to get through the pearly gates, I’ll have a pint of Guinness, please mate, and guess what? I’ll take the tab. See you later, Johnny. Shake it, man, shake it.”

Later in the show, Walker’s wife Tiggy praised him for continuing to broadcast after becoming “very sick” in January.

Tiggy, who has been married to the radio DJ for more than two decades, presented alongside her husband for five months during lockdown.

Appearing on his final show on Sunday afternoon, he told her: “I think you should also be proud of how long you’ve stayed on air this year.

“You got very, very sick in January this year and I didn’t think you’d be performing until February. You have been continuing for 10 months.

“I know it’s been really hard for you. I’m the only one who knows how hard this is for you and I just want to say well done for sticking with it this long because you make so many people so happy.”

“And I know there will be many tears shed today, including my own.”

Walker admitted she may have shed a tear or two and thanked him for his “wonderful care”, adding: “I definitely couldn’t have done the show without that, so thank you for that.”

Former colleague Sally Boazman joined him on air, saying working with him on the Drivetime show from 1999 to 2006 was “the best chance of my life”.

“I want to thank you for everything. We had so much fun. And Johnnie, I will never, ever forget you,” he added.

Former Old Gray Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris will take charge of Sounds Of The 70s from 3 November and Shaun Keaveny will become the new host of The Rock Show from 1 November.