James Valentine knew he was dying but he knew something else with equal clarity: he didn’t want to die angry.
His last year was chronicalled by ABC TV’s Australian Story.
James passed away ten days ago and was laid to rest almost immediately in a quiet family ceremony. A more public memorial is planned some time soon.
“I don’t want my last days to be angry,” Valentine, 64, said in his final interview with Australian Story in February. “If these are my last months, I want them full of joy. I want them full of friendship and love and happiness,” he told the program.
Shortly before his death, he held a living wake, reminiscing with his friends and playing the saxophone with his band.
After his early career in music and television, the moment Valentine walked into a booth for his first radio shift, he felt at home. “My memory is that I just went: ‘Ah, yes, I love this. This is fantastic.'”
He loved the immediacy of radio, the seat-of-your-pants improvisation, and, with his innate sense of rhythm, was adept at understanding the light and shade required to keep audiences engaged, according to Australian Story.
Watch Australian Story with James Valentine, A Year of Living Gratefully, Monday at 8:00pm (AEDT) on ABCTV and ABC iview.
Images: ABC Australian Story