James Valentine, the warm, witty and curious-minded broadcaster who became one of the defining voices of ABC Radio Sydney, has died aged 64 after a long battle with cancer, the details of which he regularly shared with his listeners.

His family said he died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, having chosen voluntary assisted dying. 

For more than three decades, Valentine was a familiar presence in Australian media – first as a musician and television personality, then as one of the country’s most distinctive radio hosts. Best known for steering ABC Radio Sydney’s Afternoons program for more than 20 years, he cultivated a rare on-air intimacy with listeners, combining intelligence, humour and an instinctive feel for the rhythms of everyday life. 

Valentine retired from the ABC in February this year, citing the need to focus on treatment after a cancer diagnosis in 2024 and subsequent complications in 2025. 

Born in Ballarat in 1961, Valentine was drawn early to music and broadcasting. He picked up the saxophone at school and later studied classical saxophone in Melbourne before launching a professional music career in the 1980s.