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Paul Keating, a former prime minister, famously remarked, “When you educate Laws, you educate Australia,” highlighting the influential role John Laws played in the nation’s media landscape.
John Laws was a trailblazer in the world of rock music, becoming one of the first DJs to broadcast it. His success was partly due to utilizing his airline industry connections to access the latest music releases from abroad, giving him a competitive advantage when international hits often took a while to reach Australian shores.
Renowned as the “Talkback King,” John Laws concluded his illustrious radio career in 2024, marking an extraordinary seven decades behind the microphone.
Throughout his career, Laws was a fixture on Sydney’s airwaves, spending significant time with 2UE, but also working with other stations such as 2GB, 2UW, and 2SM. Beyond radio, he made brief appearances on Network Ten and Foxtel.
In 2004, Laws purchased a luxurious apartment on Woolloomooloo Wharf for $15 million, where he resided with his third wife, Caroline, until her passing in 2020. Laws was a father to five children from his first two marriages, while Caroline, whom he affectionately called “the Princess,” had four children from a previous marriage.
Tributes paid after Laws’ death
“I am deeply saddened by his passing, however, I am buoyed in the sure and certain knowledge that he led a magnificent life of achievement and adventure and he lived every moment,” he said on social media.
“He said what he thought, didn’t care who he offended, but could also show deep compassion when required.”
Controversies and scandals
When a listener sent him a fax saying he was nothing more than a “cheap whore”, Laws read it on air, paused and commented: “I’m not cheap”.
Radio talkback great John Laws was one of the most recognisable voices in Australia. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
Laws was particularly angered by the authority’s 2004 ruling that cleared Jones.
