“He was the best”: Ben Fordham says goodbye to dad John Fordham in emotional tribute
Celebrity agent John Fordham died yesterday at the age of 75 after a long battle with throat cancer.
John, who was the father of 2GB host Ben Fordham, was the founder of celebrity management business The Fordham Company, which he established in the late ‘70s.
He was responsible for the success of some of Australia’s biggest stars, whom visited John during his final days in the hospice of Sacred Heart in Sydney.
Andrew Johns, Alan Jones, Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell all went to meet John before he passed away at 7 am on Sunday.
Taking to Instagram this morning to pay his respects, Ben Fordham wrote: “My dad has passed away. It was the most peaceful goodbye. We were all there with him and feel blessed.
“What a bloke. When we were growing up, he spent every spare minute playing on the street with all of the neighbourhood kids. He built a business with my mum that set the standard for public relations and personality management. He was a wonderful donor to charity and established the Head and Neck Cancer Foundation.
“As a mate, he was the best. If any of his family or friends or clients were in trouble, he’d go to war. ‘If you grab the tail, you get the whole tiger’ – that was Jack.
“We’re going to miss him but thankfully we took every chance to tell him how much we love him. That’s the trick. No regrets.
“Today, dad is being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his commitment to charity. RIP John Fordham (AM).”
Ben revealed that his dad “accepted” that his death was close, but still refused to stop working from his hospice bed.
“He dictated a really heavy message on Saturday afternoon involving one of his clients in a contract negotiation,” Ben told The Daily Telegraph. “It was very robust, very stern to an employer and he was determined to get it resolved.”
John is survived by his wife Veronica and his children Ben, Nick and Sarah.