Australian entertainment legend Johnny Young, born Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong in Rotterdam, has died aged 79.

Young migrated from the Netherlands to Perth with his family as a child and went on to become one of Australia’s best-known television and music personalities. He is particularly remembered as the creator, producer and host of Young Talent Time, which ran from 1971 to 1988 and helped launch the careers of performers including Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue.

Young was also a successful singer and songwriter, writing some of Australia’s best-known pop songs, including Russell Morris’ The Real Thing and Ronnie Burns’ Smiley. His contribution to Australian music was recognised with his induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010.

His family announced his death on Friday following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

 

 

Photo:Johnny Young, by Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0