Young Talent Time host Johnny Young has died at the age of 79 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Young – also a singer-songwriter and record producer – was a fixture on Australian television screens with his variety show, which ran from 1971 to 1988 and showcased the talents of young Australians, including Dannii Minogue, Tina Arena and Debra Byrne.

His family confirmed his death, saying he had been battling pancreatic cancer.

“Johnny was the creator, host and producer of the much-loved television show Young Talent Time,” his family said in a statement.

“He wrote and produced many iconic hit songs, including The Real Thing and Smiley.”

They asked for privacy “during this difficult time”, adding that details of a memorial service would be announced soon.”

Young was born Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong in the Netherlands in 1947 and grew up in Perth after his family moved there when he was a child.

He credited his mother – who sang in a choir – with inspiring his interest in music, and as a school leaver he began his career as a trainee disc jockey before going on to host a WA television music show at just 18.

Young also performed as a pop singer. He had a number-one hit in 1966 with Step Back, while his cover of The Beatles’ All My Loving reached No. 4 nationally. Smiley, written for Ronnie Burns, was about their friend Normie Rowe’s conscription for the Vietnam War.

In 1967, Young won a Logie as Best Teenage Personality for his work hosting TV’s The Go Show!!. He launched the much-loved Young Talent Time four years later.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the tributes to Young following news of his passing on Friday.

“Johnny Young gave Australia the gift of joy,” Albanese wrote on X.

“A wonderful singer in his own right, he established himself in our homes and our hearts as the genial and generous host of Young Talent Time, the launchpad for an incredible new generation of entertainers. How lucky we were to have him. May he rest in peace.”

Johnny Young gave Australia the gift of joy.

A wonderful singer in his own right, he established himself in our homes and our hearts as the genial and generous host of Young Talent Time, the launchpad for an incredible new generation of entertainers.

How lucky we were to have…

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 14, 2026

The Real Thing singer Russell Morris also praised his friend’s contribution to the Australian music industry in an ABC radio interview, and referred to him on social media as “a force of nature”.

Young Talent Time team member Debbie Neat described Young as her “TV dad”, saying it was “a very sad day for the entertainment industry”.

“Johnny Young you have been in my life for 53 years…..and I love that we have spoken on the phone and had the chance to meet up again only a few years ago when filming the YTT 50 years episode,” Neat wrote on Facebook.

Young was inducted into both the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame and the ARIA Hall of Fame during his lengthy career.

During his ARIA Hall of Fame induction in 2010, singer Tina Arena described him as “one of my favourite people in the world” and Young Talent Time as one of Australia’s most iconic TV shows.

“You were an inspiration to a generation of young Australian artists, showing us how to reach for the stars, how to take artistic risks… you inspired us. You believed in us; we believed in you,” she said.

Young leaves behind his wife Marisha, sister Cornelia, daughters Anna and Fleur, son Craig (dec.), seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

–with AAP