Johnny Young, creator of Young Talent Time, dies aged 79
The host who launched the careers of Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue is remembered for his musical hits and enduring impact on Australian culture
Johnny Young, the singer-songwriter and producer who created and hosted the iconic Australian variety show Young Talent Time, has died aged 79. His family confirmed his passing in a statement on Friday, noting that he died following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The statement highlighted his dual legacy as a television pioneer and a hitmaker, acknowledging that he wrote and produced iconic songs including The Real Thing and Smily.
Born Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong in the Netherlands in 1947, Young migrated to Perth with his family in the 1950s. He quickly rose to prominence as a teen idol in the 1960s, hosting the pop music show Club Seventeen on Perth television. His musical career during this period included significant successes such as Step Back, one of the decade’s biggest-selling Australian singles, and a cover of the Beatles’ All My Loving.
Young’s songwriting prowess extended beyond his own performances. In 1968, Ian “Molly” Meldrum encouraged him to record a demo of The Real Thing for Russell Morris. The track became a massive hit, reportedly the most expensive single ever recorded in Australia at the time. Young continued to collaborate with Morris, writing further chart-topping songs including The Girl That I Love and Part Three into Paper Walls.
In 1971, Young launched Young Talent Time, a children’s talent quest show that aired until 1988. Inspired by The Mickey Mouse Club, the program became a cultural staple, launching the careers of artists such as Tina Arena, Debra Byrne, and Dannii Minogue. Each episode concluded with Young and the cast performing All My Loving, a signature moment that cemented the show’s place in Australian television history.
The production of the show came with personal and financial costs. Young had sold his family home to finance a television studio, a move that contributed to the collapse of his marriage and significant financial difficulties. He later described this period as losing his “family jewels” and expressed shame at not having protected his family’s finances more effectively.
Young’s life also included a period of intense public scrutiny in 1993, when he was mistakenly arrested in the Philippines and accused of running an illegal AIDS clinic. He had been in the country to support his friend and former Young Talent Time director, Terry Higgins, who was seeking alternative treatments for HIV. All charges were dropped, but the incident led to media speculation about his sexuality and his work with children, which Young said devastated him.
He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010, with the honour presented by former Young Talent Team member Tina Arena. Young also returned to the franchise as a judge during a brief reboot of the show in 2012. He is survived by his third wife, Marisha, his sister Cornelia, daughters Anna and Fleur, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His son, Craig, also died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 48.
