eteran radio broadcaster John Laws has died aged 90.
Laws was known as the “Golden Tonsils” and was one of Australia’s most recognisable voices in talkback radio.
“Today marks a very difficult day for our family, with the news that our beloved father/grandfather/uncle John Laws has died peacefully at home,” his family said in a statement on Sunday.
Laws, who spent two weeks in hospital in October, died peacefully at his home in the inner-Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo earlier in the day.
“While fame and prominence had become a mainstay of his life, for us he was always the person who meant so much, away from the microphone, the cameras, and the headlines,” the family statement said.
“It is comforting to know that John’s was a life lived well – he had remained in good health and even better spirits right up until the last few weeks.”
He spent a mammoth 71 years on air at stations such as Sydney’s 2UE and 2SM, before retiring in November last year.
It all began in 1953, when Laws landed his first job in radio at 3BO in Bendigo.
Over his broadcast career, Laws also provided voice-over work, recorded several singles and appeared on television as both a host and talk show panellist.
Laws was also the recipient of an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1974 for his services to broadcasting and charity.
It was upgraded to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) four years later.
Former colleagues and friends took to social media on Sunday evening to pay tribute to Laws.
“John Laws was one of the true originals,” radio host Kyle Sandilands said on X.
“You could never mistake him for anyone else. He said what he thought, didn’t care who he offended, but could also show deep compassion when required.
“I’m devastated to have lost a mentor and a mate. Radio won’t be the same without him.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to Laws, highlighting his “iconic voice”.
He interviewed 17 prime ministers, and in 2003 was inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame to recognise his decades on the airwaves.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described Laws’ career as “extraordinary”.
“Few broadcasters have left such a deep and lasting mark on Australian media,” Mr Minns said.
