“He reached out and we held hands”: Normie Rowe recalls the heartbreaking final meeting that ended with goodbye to Johnny Young
For more than six decades, Normie Rowe and Johnny Young shared a friendship that began when they were teenagers and endured through some of the most important — and painful — moments of their lives.
Now, following Johnny Young’s passing at 79 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, Normie has opened up about the final time he saw his great friend.
A final visit that meant everything
Just days before Johnny’s passing on August 13, Normie travelled to Perth to spend precious time with him and his family.
Johnny’s wife of 16 years, Marisha, had alerted close friends that the end might be near.
When Normie walked into his friend’s bedroom, he was met with a familiar sight — Johnny’s trademark smile.
“He reached out and we held hands,” Normie recalled.
In that quiet moment, there was little left to say.
Normie simply wanted Johnny to know how deeply he was loved and admired.
“We said goodbye,” he revealed.
A friendship that began when they were 17
The bond between the two Australian entertainment legends stretched back to 1965.
Both were just 17 when Normie appeared on Johnny’s Perth-based music program, Club Seventeen.
Normie had recently released It Ain’t Necessarily So and was booked to appear on the show.
But the young singer remembers being struck by more than Johnny’s ability to command a television studio.
He saw charisma, warmth and an unusual depth in someone so young.
That first meeting became the beginning of a friendship that would last for more than 60 years.
More than colleagues — they were there for each other
Johnny went on to become one of the defining figures of Australian television and music.
He hosted The Go!! Show, became a successful songwriter and later created and hosted Young Talent Time, which ran from 1971 to 1988 and helped launch the careers of performers including Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue.
But for Normie, Johnny was never simply a television icon.
He was the friend he could talk to about almost anything — from sport and politics to life, family and everything in between.
“He was the ultimate pro, with no fuss or ego,” Normie recalled.
“That smiling face you saw on TV, that was the real Johnny Young.”
They knew heartbreak together
Their friendship was also tested by devastating personal loss.
When Normie’s eight-year-old son Adam died in 1979 after being struck by a motorist, Johnny was among the close friends who rallied around him and his family.
Years later, they supported each other through further family tragedies, including the loss of Normie’s daughter Erin and Johnny’s son Craig.
Craig died from pancreatic cancer in 2014, aged 48 — the same disease that would eventually claim his father.
When Johnny told Normie in April that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Normie said he was “shell-shocked.”
Yet even then, Johnny remained calm and centred.
The man behind the legend
Born in Rotterdam in 1947, Johnny moved to Australia with his family as a child and began performing as a teenager.
His career eventually stretched across music, television, radio and songwriting, with Young Talent Time becoming one of the defining programs of Australian popular culture.
He also wrote songs that became Australian classics, including The Real Thing and Smiley.
But Normie remembers the man behind the achievements.
A devoted husband to Marisha, a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather — and, above all, “a bloody great mate.”
“The best”
Johnny’s family confirmed that he died on August 13 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by Marisha, daughters Anna and Fleur, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; his son Craig predeceased him.
For Normie, however, the numbers and achievements only tell part of Johnny’s story.
The final memory he will carry is much simpler.
A bedroom.
A familiar smile.
Two old friends holding hands.
And a goodbye after more than 60 years of friendship.
“Johnny was a bloody great mate,” Normie said.
“The best.”
The Final Goodbye of Two Teenage Dreamers
Beyond the bright studio lights and iconic chart-topping hits, that quiet Perth bedroom became the final stage for two men who had walked the entire length of Australian music history together.
As Normie sat beside his lifelong brother, holding his hand through those silent final hours, the decades of fame faded away, leaving only the unshakeable foundation of a brotherhood forged in their youth.
The profound loss reverberates far beyond the entertainment industry, leaving an irreplaceable void in the hearts of generations who grew up under Johnny’s gentle, guiding influence.
For Normie, stepping into a world without his oldest confidant is a harrowing new reality, yet he finds solace in the enduring memories of a man whose generosity and humility remained untouched by the dizzying heights of stardom.
Johnny Young leaves behind not just a historic catalog of television milestones and timeless pop anthems, but an extraordinary legacy of kindness, resilience, and unwavering loyalty.
Though the final goodbye has been spoken and the curtain has officially fallen on a legendary era, the quiet warmth of that last hand-hold will forever preserve the immortal bond between two teenage dreamers who changed Australian culture together.