Normie Rowe has opened up about the deeply emotional final visit he shared with Johnny Young just one week before his passing. After more than 60 years of friendship, one quiet moment in Perth became a goodbye filled with love, gratitude and a lifetime of memories.
Normie Rowe Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Final Goodbye with Johnny Young
Normie Rowe has shared the deeply personal story of his final moments with lifelong friend Johnny Young, revealing how a friendship that began when they were teenagers came to a quiet and emotional farewell more than six decades later.
Johnny died at his Perth home on August 13, 2026, aged 79, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Just one week earlier, Normie had flown across the country after learning that his close friend may not have much time left.
A Final Journey to Perth
In an exclusive interview with New Idea, Normie recalled being contacted by Johnny’s wife of 16 years, Marisha, who had quietly informed close friends that the end might be near.
Normie travelled to Perth to spend precious time with Johnny and his family. When he entered his friend’s bedroom, Johnny greeted him with the familiar smile that generations of Australians had come to know through his long career in entertainment.
“He reached out and we held hands,” Normie recalled.
In that deeply personal moment, Normie wanted Johnny to understand how much their friendship had meant to him and how greatly he had admired him from the very beginning.
It would become their final goodbye.
A Friendship That Began at 17
Normie and Johnny were both just 17 when their paths first crossed.
At the time, Johnny was presenting the Perth music program Club Seventeen, while Normie appeared on the show to promote his newly released song, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”
Normie immediately noticed Johnny’s charisma and natural confidence in front of the camera. Their connection grew into a friendship that would last for more than 60 years.
Both became major figures in Australian entertainment during the 1960s, but their conversations away from the spotlight often had little to do with showbusiness. According to Normie, they could spend hours discussing everything from sport and politics to life’s most difficult challenges.
He remembered Johnny as a compassionate and knowledgeable person whose warmth on television reflected the man he was in private.
Standing Together Through Family Heartbreak
Their friendship was strengthened by the devastating personal losses they experienced over the years.
When Normie’s eight-year-old son Adam died in 1979 after being struck by a motorist, Johnny was among the close friends who supported the grieving family.
Johnny was also there for Normie following the unexpected death of his daughter Erin decades later.
Normie returned that support when Johnny’s son Craig died from pancreatic cancer in 2014. Tragically, it was the same disease that would later claim Johnny’s life.
The two friends understood a kind of grief few people could fully comprehend, and they continued to stand beside one another through some of their darkest moments.
Johnny Faced His Diagnosis with Calm
Normie said he was left “shell-shocked” when Johnny told him in April that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Despite the seriousness of the news, Johnny remained calm and centred. Normie attributed some of that strength to the meditation Johnny had practised since the 1970s.
That was also the decade in which Johnny created and began hosting Young Talent Time, the beloved television program that helped launch the careers of generations of Australian performers.
His influence extended well beyond television. Johnny was also a successful singer, songwriter and radio host, writing enduring Australian songs including Russell Morris’ “The Real Thing” and Ronnie Burns’ “Smiley.”
Remembering the Man Behind the Famous Smile
Born Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong in Rotterdam in 1947, Johnny moved to Perth with his family when he was six and formed his first band at 14.
Across a career spanning six decades, he became known as a pop star, television host, songwriter and mentor to young performers. Yet for Normie, his most important qualities were found away from the cameras.
He remembered Johnny as a devoted husband to Marisha, a loving father to Craig, Anna and Fleur, and a proud grandfather and great-grandfather.
More than anything, he was the friend who had remained by Normie’s side through fame, family joy and unimaginable loss.
Their final handclasp in Perth carried the weight of that entire shared history — a quiet goodbye between two lifelong friends who had first met at 17 and never stopped being there for one another.