For generations of Australians, Johnny Young will forever be connected with Young Talent Time — the television institution that helped introduce some of the country’s best-known performers.
But for Tina Arena, Johnny’s place in her story was never simply that of a television host or the man who helped give her an early opportunity.
Their connection began when Tina was still a child and continued long after she had stepped away from the program, eventually becoming a relationship she would describe in deeply personal terms.
Tina’s story began on Young Talent Time
Tina first appeared on Young Talent Time as a young contestant before joining the regular cast in 1977. She would go on to become the show’s longest-serving cast member, growing up in front of Australian viewers before leaving in 1983.
Johnny was there through those formative years.
The program, which ran from 1971 until 1988, became an important launching point for a generation of performers, with Tina among its most successful alumni alongside names including Dannii Minogue and Debra Byrne.
Their connection became far more personal
Decades later, it became clear that Tina did not view Johnny simply as an early-career mentor.
When Johnny was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010, Tina spoke about the faith he had shown in her during those early years and described him as “like a father.”
It was a revealing description of a relationship viewers had first watched unfold on television.
Behind the performances and the familiar Young Talent Time stage was a young singer being encouraged by someone whose belief in her would remain important long after the show ended.
Tina made a special journey for Johnny
Perhaps one of the clearest signs of what Johnny meant to Tina came when it was time for the Australian music industry to honour him.
Tina was living in Paris at the time, but she travelled back to Australia specifically for Johnny’s ARIA Hall of Fame induction at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October 2010.
She was the person chosen to induct her former mentor.
For a performer whose own career had taken her far beyond the television show where it began, returning for Johnny’s milestone carried a significance that went well beyond another awards-night appearance.
One song made the tribute even more meaningful
Tina also chose to honour Johnny through his own music.
During the ceremony she performed one of his lesser-known songs, Here Comes The Star, before inducting him into the Hall of Fame. She explained that the song felt particularly fitting for the man who had believed in her talent years earlier.
Johnny’s induction recognised a career extending far beyond television. He had been a successful performer and songwriter before creating Young Talent Time, and his catalogue included songs such as The Real Thing and Smiley.
But that evening also highlighted another part of his legacy: the performers whose careers he had helped nurture.
Johnny remained proud of the girl he had watched grow up
The affection clearly went both ways.
Years later, when Tina herself entered the ARIA Hall of Fame, Johnny spoke proudly about the performer he had known since childhood.
In a 2015 interview, he described Tina as a “remarkable talent” and reflected that he had watched her grow up in front of him.
By then, Tina’s career had travelled far beyond her beginnings on Australian television, yet the connection between the pair had endured across the decades.
Tina’s final words revealed what the bond still meant
Following Johnny’s passing at the age of 79 in August 2026, Tina again reflected publicly on what he had given her.
She wrote that Johnny had allowed and encouraged her to “find my voice”, while promising that the legacy he left behind would continue to be upheld.
Those words gave new meaning to a relationship that began when Tina was still finding her place on a television stage.
For audiences, Johnny Young was the man behind Young Talent Time. For Tina Arena, he had become something much more personal — a mentor, a source of belief and, in her own words, someone she came to regard almost as a father.
Sources: ABC News, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, APRA AMCOS, Australian Songwriters Association.