Welcome to our live coverageBy Chris HookHello and welcome to our coverage of James Valentine’s public memorial at Sydney Town Hall.The ABC Sydney radio host, author and musician died last month aged 64, after a two-year battle with cancer.His death sparked an outpouring of grief from listeners across the city, and the ABC announced the memorial with attendance via public registration.Today’s memorial at Sydney’s Town Hall is open to the public who registered to attend beforehand and broadcast on ABC’s 702 Radio, hosted by Richard Glover, who worked alongside Valentine on the airwaves for 25 years.You can follow the event here. Latest Posts11.34amHow the man who ‘lifted the spirits of a city’ was remembered by those around himBy Kayla OlayaJames Valentine’s death in April was deeply felt across Sydney, sparking days of warm tributes by fellow broadcasters and ABC radio listeners.Richard Glover, who shared the airwaves with Valentine for 25 years on 702 ABC Sydney and is hosting today’s memorial, remembered his friend as someone who offered great wit and wisdom, alongside an appreciation of the rich drama and hilarity of everyday life.Richard Glover and James Valentine at the Andrew Olle Media Lecture in 2022.“Monday to Friday on 702 ABC Radio, for 25 years, he lifted the spirits of a city,” Glover wrote in a tribute for this masthead. ABC managing director Hugh Marks said Valentine had been “a trusted companion for so many people, part of the rhythm of everyday life for generations of our Sydney audience,” and that he would be deeply missed.11.31amHow Valentine organised his final sign-offBy Kayla OlayaJames Valentine’s wish was to have a “living wake” and end his life through voluntary assisted dying (VAD), his family said in a statement announcing his death on April 23.“James passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family, who adored him,” Valentine’s family said. “Throughout his illness, James did it his way, which lasted all the way until the end when he made the choice to do Voluntary Assisted Dying.”James Valentine and his wife Joanne Corrigan.Tom Hancock/Australian StoryValentine’s wife Joanne Corrigan later described the process to this masthead.“I said to him, ‘You’ve got one last big performance you got to do, James’,” she said. “When they come in and they say, ‘We’re the voluntary assisted dying people’, you’ve got to say, ‘Yes, I know who you are. I want voluntary assisted’. You’ve got to be conscious because otherwise they’re going to leave.”Born in Victoria in 1961, Valentine grew up in Ballarat and left his hometown to study jazz in Melbourne, where he became a working musician before joining the Australian band the Models.He left the Models in 1987 and landed the role of afternoon presenter on ABC children’s TV. More TV roles soon followed, but Valentine switched to radio in 1999 and spent more than 25 years on the airwaves.Pinned post from 11.30amWelcome to our live coverageBy Chris HookHello and welcome to our coverage of James Valentine’s public memorial at Sydney Town Hall.The ABC Sydney radio host, author and musician died last month aged 64, after a two-year battle with cancer.His death sparked an outpouring of grief from listeners across the city, and the ABC announced the memorial with attendance via public registration.Today’s memorial at Sydney’s Town Hall is open to the public who registered to attend beforehand and broadcast on ABC’s 702 Radio, hosted by Richard Glover, who worked alongside Valentine on the airwaves for 25 years.You can follow the event here. 1 of 1