Sir Paul McCartney pays tribute to Janice Long

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.”

Article source: https://www.contactmusic.com/sir-paul-mccartney/news/sir-paul-mccartney-pays-tribute-to-janice-long_6338804