Hugely respected and admired by countless number of people for a life of incredible multifarious talents - distilling enhancement, education and entertainment with impeccable style, sentience and compassion.

I had known John since 1980 and shared a flat with him in London's Pembridge Crescent until 1987. There was always so much laughter. Whenever Richard Baker and his wife Margaret visited it was tremendous fun and it was fascinating to watch the banter between these two great broadcasters. Both had a fund of stories and I remember John telling me about the time he was a continuity announcer and a play was being broadcast live. One of the actors in the play died suddenly, and John had to keep talking while they wrote the dead actor out! I look upon those years with great fondness. We kept in touch and each Christmas he always sent me a poem he had written or a piece that he had translated. A highly intelligent man, if we went to the theatre together I always had to be prepared afterwards, as he would quiz me about the plot or the language, and could make me feel like a pupil being grilled by his teacher!
But he was always so supportive of everything that I did and would send me cards of encouragement and praise. A true gentleman, he will be greatly missed.