James Valentine, who spent more than two decades as the voice of ABC Sydney Afternoons, has died at 64 at his home in Sydney, Australia. He chose voluntary assisted dying on April 22, two years after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
“James passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family, who adored him,” his 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.”
His family said the decision reflected how Valentine handled his entire illness — on his own terms. “Both he and his family are grateful he was given the option to go out on his own terms. He was calm, dignified as always and somehow still making us laugh.”
A Public Battle
In March 2024, Valentine did what came naturally to him: he shared his cancer diagnosis on air with listeners, then interviewed his own surgeon about the disease.
“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.
He took leave for treatment and came back to the microphone in 2025. But in June 2025, Valentine had more news for his audience: tumors had been found in his omentum. He stepped away again and announced his retirement from the ABC in February 2026.
Radio as Friendship
A fill-in gig at 666 ABC Canberra in the mid-1990s first revealed Valentine’s natural talent for radio. The ABC brought him to Sydney in 1998 to present Sydney Mornings, though he later confessed he struggled with the pressure of trying to “sound more like a journalist” in that hard news format. The switch to Afternoons in 1999 proved to be the perfect match.
For more than 20 years, Valentine remained at ABC Sydney Afternoons, creating one of Australian radio’s most enduring relationships. His approach was warm rather than confrontational, building connections through conversation rather than conflict. The show won 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 host Breakfast in late 2021, replacing Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck. He began on Dec. 13 that year. Two years later, Valentine returned to Afternoons, the slot where he always belonged. Over his career, he hosted radio and television programs for the ABC for more than 30 years, with 25 years at 702 ABC Sydney.
Before the Microphone
Before radio made him a household name, Valentine was a working musician with a saxophone and a knack for pop. He joined Joe Camilleri’s group, Jo Jo Zep, in 1982. From 1984 to 1987, he played with the Models, and from 1989 to 1990 with Absent Friends. He also recorded and toured with Pseudo Echo, Kate Ceberano, and Iva Davies, weaving through some of Australia’s most notable acts.
His music career culminated in 2010 when he was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame as a member of the Models. But by that point, Valentine had already established himself in broadcasting.
From 1987 through 1990, he hosted “The Afternoon Show” on ABC TV, a children’s program where he became, as a 1997 student newspaper profile put it, “a preteen, demi-god, hip big brother of our generation.” His red sneakers became iconic. But Valentine, always aware of his limits, called himself “past it” for children’s television and moved forward.
He spent more than a decade as the movie reviewer on Showtime and made appearances on Good Morning Australia, Midday, Sunrise, and It Takes Two. He also presented TVTV and The Mix for the ABC.
Valentine’s work, as colleagues reflected after his death, spanned music, television, writing, and radio — roles that came together as one cohesive voice. He once described talk radio as performance art, a form of music in itself.
For nearly four decades, Australians tuned in. Many will continue listening for his voice.
Valentine is survived by his wife, Joanne, and children, Ruby and Roy.