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James Valentine was a hugely popular talkback radio star on ABC Sydney, but adjectives often associated with that role did not fit him. Inclusive rather than combative, jovial rather than controversial, he became one of Australia’s favourite presenters for his thoughtful curiosity, his playful manner and the deep connections he nurtured with his guests and audience.

Valentine, who has died aged 64, made his mark on Australia’s cultural landscape as a writer, television host and musician as well as a radio presenter. He was a passionate and talented saxophonist who played with the Models, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Absent Friends and Pseudo Echo.

But for more than two decades Valentine’s was the voice ABC Sydney listeners would hear presenting the afternoon or, briefly, the breakfast program, becoming known for his considered questions and his intimate and relatable approach to broadcasting.

“I think after a while people aren’t listening to the content; they’re listening to the friendship,” he said. “Creating talk that’s worth listening to is a form of performance and a kind of music.”

In March 2024, Valentine became the news story after announcing on air that he had oesophageal cancer, before then interviewing his surgeon.

“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 said.

From 1987 to 1990, he was the quirky, crimson sneaker-wearing presenter of ABC TV’s The Afternoon Show, endearing himself to another generation of fans. He was popular, but he knew he did not want to make children’s television, declaring himself “past it”.

“A preteen, demi-god, hip big brother of our generation,” is how he was described in a 1997 interview in Woroni, the Australian National University’s student newspaper.

Valentine went on to work as a reporter, movie reviewer and host with Good Morning Australia, Showtime, Midday and TVTV, later hosting Exhumed and The Mix on the ABC. But he became hooked on radio after being offered a fill-in job by the ABC and recognised his appetite for performing live.

Working at ABC Canberra in the mid-1990s led to him being offered the ABC Sydney Mornings slot in 1998, although he admitted to being racked with insecurity, feeling the burden of trying to “sound more like a journalist” in a high-pressure news environment.

The following year, he moved to ABC Sydney Afternoons and immediately felt at ease, appreciating that it was the ideal time slot to show his true colours, experiment with comedy and make the show more playful. In 2020, his program was named one of the world’s best in the New York Festivals radio awards.

“I realised you could get listeners to create radio that’s really fun and engaging just by allowing them to be imaginative,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Valentine was behind the Afternoons microphone for the next 22 years until he was announced as the new host of Breakfast in late 2021, replacing Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck.

“What I am going to do in Breakfast, I haven’t a clue. We will find out together,” he told his listeners.

Two years later, Valentine returned to Afternoons. After his diagnosis he stepped away from the program to receive treatment, returning in September 2024.

In June 2025, he was again sharing a cancer diagnosis with his audience, this time cancer of his omentum and announcing he would be off-air once more to receive further treatment.

“I’m already missing you, I’m already wanting to get back on air,” he wrote at the time.

‘Pretending to be a rock star’

James Matthew Valentine was born in Ballarat, Victoria, on 12 September 1961, the third son of Peter, a car salesman, and Nina (née Reakes), who taught elocution. His mother worked part-time at the local ABC radio station 3BA, recording items for The Women’s Hour and Australia All Over.

Like so many of his generation, James was introduced to the recorder in kindergarten. He realised he had a talent of his own that did not require competing with his sports-mad older brothers, Mark and Andrew. His parents were not musical, but they encouraged his desire to learn classical flute and saxophone.

He attended Ballarat Grammar School and went on to study classical saxophone and jazz at Melbourne State College. It was the early 1980s, Australian music was taking off and Valentine soon discovered himself an in-demand session musician.

He first appeared on ABC TV in 1982, playing the saxophone with Joe Camilleri on Countdown, a moment that transformed his life and led to him playing with musicians such as Wendy Matthews, Richard Clapton and Kate Ceberano.

“I was this scrawny little jazz musician in Melbourne … and I land this gig with Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons,” he recalled. “I am this skinny idiot in the middle pretending to be a rock star.”

In the late 1980s, worn down by five years of incessant touring with the Models, Valentine chose to find more stable work in radio and television, although he continued to play music and before his illness was scheduled to tour his theatre show, Upbeat Revue.

“What happened with being a musician was that I realised I wasn’t John Coltrane. I wasn’t that good, but I loved to play,” he said. “Radio is very akin to music. It’s all about rhythm and time, spacing and pace.”

Valentine released an album, Debut, in 2009 and wrote several young adult fiction books, including a science fiction trilogy. He was a regular columnist for various publications and hosted his own jazz show, Upbeat, on Sunday mornings on ABC radio.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne Corrigan, and children Ruby and Roy.

• James Valentine, radio presenter and musician, born 12 September 1961; died 22 April 2026