Australian radio icon John Laws has died peacefully at the age of 90.
Once dubbed the “broadcaster of the century” by a former prime minister, Laws passed away at his home in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, following two weeks in hospital earlier this month.
His career spanned more than 70 years behind the microphone, with fellow radio veterans like Ray Hadley praising his career, going so far as to say John revolutionised talk radio.
He began his broadcasting journey in 1953 at regional station 3BO in Bendigo, where his first on-air moment was announcing a local haberdashery’s commercial.
Laws quickly rose through the ranks. In 1956 he joined Sydney’s 2UE and became one of the first DJs to present Australia’s first Top 40 countdown.
He later embraced the then-new talkback radio format and became a household name with his signature sign-off: “be kind to each other.”
During his career, Laws also made headlines in the so-called “Cash for Comment” scandal, where an investigation found he had breached commercial radio codes.
Yet the controversy did little to dent his larger legacy. In 1993 he celebrated 40 years on-air, with then-Prime Minister Paul Keating attending a dinner to mark the milestone and closely linking Laws’ influence to politics and media.
Tributes have already begun pouring in. Fellow broadcaster Kyle Sandilands called Laws “one of the true originals… you could never mistake him for anyone else,” noting his fearless candour and unexpected compassion
In announcing his retirement in 2024, Laws reflected on his remarkable run: “I’ve done it for a very, very, very, very long time — 70 years, is it long enough? It’s long enough.”
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