Johnny Young, the Australian entertainer who created, produced and hosted the long-running television variety series Young Talent Time, has died. He was 79.

Young died following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, his family announced Friday. A place of death was not disclosed.

“Johnny was the creator, host and producer of the much-loved television show Young Talent Time,” his family said in a statement. “He wrote and produced many iconic hit songs, including ‘The Real Thing’ and ‘Smiley.’”

Premiering on Australia’s Network Ten in April 1971, Young Talent Time combined music, dance and a talent competition built around a rotating ensemble of young performers. Young presided over more than 800 episodes before the original series concluded in 1988.

The program became an Australian television institution and an important training ground for a generation of performers. Its alumni included Tina Arena, Dannii Minogue, Debra Byrne, Jamie Redfern, Karen Knowles and Sally Boyden. Episodes traditionally ended with Young and the cast performing the Beatles’ “All My Loving.”

Arena, who joined the program as a child, later described Young as a father figure and credited him with recognizing and nurturing her talent. She inducted him into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2010, performing his song “The Star” during the ceremony.

Born Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on March 12, 1947, Young emigrated to Australia with his family as a child and was raised in Perth.

He began his entertainment career as a teenage radio disc jockey before becoming a prominent figure in Australia’s 1960s pop scene. Performing with Johnny Young & Kompany, he topped the Australian charts in 1966 with the double-sided single “Step Back” and “Cara-Lyn.” He also hosted the pop music series The Go!! Show and appeared on bills with acts including the Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison.

Young subsequently found major success as a songwriter and producer. His compositions included Russell Morris’ psychedelic rock landmark “The Real Thing,” Ronnie Burns’ Vietnam War-era song “Smiley,” Ross D. Wyllie’s “The Star” and Lionel Rose’s “I Thank You.”

With record executive Kevin Lewis, Young moved further into television production at the beginning of the 1970s. Their company developed Young Talent Time, with Young serving as its genial on-camera anchor throughout the original run. The show’s family-friendly performances and stable of precocious young singers made him one of Australian television’s most familiar personalities.

Young was inducted into the TV Week Logie Hall of Fame in 1990 for his contribution to Australian television. His 2010 induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame recognized a music career that had by then spanned five decades. He was the first entertainer to receive both honors.

After the original Young Talent Time ended, Young continued working in radio, television and live entertainment. He established performing-arts schools bearing his name and served as an executive producer and judge on Network Ten’s short-lived 2012 revival of Young Talent Time, hosted by Rob Mills. He later participated in a 2021 television special commemorating the program’s 50th anniversary.

Young’s family said he is survived by his wife, Marisha; his sister, Cornelia; daughters Anna and Fleur; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His son, Craig, died of pancreatic cancer in 2014 at age 48.

“The family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time,” the statement said. Details of a memorial service will be announced later.