RADIO LEGEND LOST
‘I’m happy to go now’ James Whale’s tragic final words revealed just hours before his death aged 74
It came after he told how he was struggling to speak and think
- Published: 12:42, 4 Aug 2025
- Updated: 15:14, 4 Aug 2025
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TERMINALLY ill James Whale heartbreakingly admitted he felt “happy to go now” after moving into a hospice – before passing away a short time later.
The broadcaster, 74, confessed he “probably won’t be here next week” in a harrowing last column published hours before his death was announced.
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James had terminal kidney cancer and recently celebrated his “last birthday” surrounded by loved ones after stopping his treatment.
Back in May, the TALK radio host revealed his long-running programme could be coming to an end as he reached the final stage of his battle.
James was first diagnosed with kidney cancer back in 2000, and initially underwent successful treatment.
However, he revealed in 2020 that the disease had returned and spread to his brain, lungs and spine.
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He admitted he felt “at peace” in his new facility after being told he had weeks to live.
In an Express column published just hours before his passing was announced today, he wrote: “Despite everything, I’m happy to go now and a lot of that is due to the people who work here, because they make dying as peaceful and pain-free as possible.”
In an obituary read on air by colleague and friend Mike Graham, Talk paid tribute to Whale and his outstanding contribution to radio over the last six decades, and his eight years on Talk and talkRADIO.
He said: “James began his remarkable career in the early 1970s when he pioneered a new kind of radio in Britain, the late night shock jock phone in.
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“By the late 1980s, the James Whale radio show had become a cultural phenomenon, broadcasting every weekend on ITV. He attracted millions of viewers, making him a household name.
“James would go on to host a variety of programmes for ITV, Sky and the BBC before finding a new audience for talk radio, all the while continuing to make headlines during his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
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“In 2006, after surviving kidney cancer, James launched Kidney Cancer UK, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“In 2024, James was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours, recognising his extraordinary contribution to broadcast and charity.
“James Whale broke the rules, he shaped the airwaves, and did it all on his own terms.
“For millions, James wasn’t just a broadcaster. He was a companion, a provocateur, and a good friend that we’ll all never forget. God bless you, James. We’ll miss you.”
James was diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer in 2020.
The charity fundraiser wrote in a new newspaper column previously: “What’s surprised me most is how much better in myself I feel since finally moving into a hospice near my home in Kent a week or so back.”
He added in his piece for the Daily Express: “I began to feel better immediately. More positive.
“I feel at peace here, even though I’m not a religious person.
“I know I’ve reached the end of my life but I’m quite sanguine about it.
“Despite everything, I’m happy to go now and a lot of that is due to the people who work here, because they make dying as peaceful and pain-free as possible.”
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One of the country’s most revered radio personalities, James has been in the business for 50 years and, in 2023, received the first ever TRIC Recognition Award for his outstanding work.
He’s helped countless others too, having launched the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer in 2006 – now known as Kidney Cancer UK – the nation’s leading specialist charity of its kind, after beating the illness two decades ago.
