Sir Paul McCartney was left “very sad” following the death of Janice Long.
The Beatles singer has paid tribute to the veteran broadcaster – who was the first woman to regularly host ‘Top of the Pops’ – after she passed away at her home on Christmas Day (25.12.21) aged 66 following a short illness.
Paul took to Twitter on Friday (07.01.22) to share a photo of himself and his “old Liverpudlian friend” standing around a jukebox and wrote: “I was very sad to hear that my old Liverpudlian friend Janice Long has passed away.
“Janice was a fun-loving lady who always had a twinkle in her eye. She was very knowledgeable about the music scene and whenever we met it was a pleasure and we had a great laugh.”
In a separate tweet, he added: “My sympathies go out to her family and friends. We have all lost a great Scouse girl, but I will always have very fond memories of her and of the times we spent together. Paul x.(sic)”
Following the death of Janice – who was the first woman to have her own daily show on BBC Radio 1 and championed artists such as Amy Winehouse, Adele and Primal Scream before they achieved chart success – a number of other musicians paid tribute to her and the support she had offered over the years.
Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess tweeted: “Janice Long was a supporter and mentor for so many bands. To hear our records on her show was always the biggest thrill – her enthusiasm and love shone through. One of a kind. Safe travels, we’ll miss ya (sic)”
Peter Hook – from Joy Division and New Order – added: “Such sad news about Janice Long. She was always a great friend and a great supporter of our music. She was a lovely lady to be around.”
Prior to her death, Janice – whose brother was the late TV presenter Keith Chegwin – had a show on BBC Radio Wales four nights per week and also presented a Saturday afternoon show on the Greatest Hits Radio station.
Her husband Paul Berry said: “I’ve lost the love of my life and I’m going to spend the rest of it half a person. She had my back from the day we met, you couldn’t possibly ask for more loyalty from a wife.”