Jimmy Young’s will: Give me a lethal jab after I’m dead to be sure I’ve gone
Sir Jimmy Young made a bizarre last request in his will for his dead body to be given a lethal injection before burial.
The late radio 2 DJ, who died in November aged 95, left an estate worth more than £2.7million, according to probate records.
His instruction for a lethal jab suggests Sir Jimmy had a fear of being wrongly pronounced dead and buried alive.
However it is not known if the procedure was carried out.
in the will, drawn up in 2008, Sir Jimmy wrote: ‘i hereby express the wish that my Trustees will use their best endeavours to ensure that after i have been certified dead and before i am buried my body shall receive a lethal injection.’
Sir Jimmy left the bulk of his net estate of £2,750,642 to his third wife Alicia, 64, who was by his side when he died at their home in Chiswick, West London.
He also left £ 50,000 to his daughter Lesley Kaplan, 70, from his first marriage.
Sir Jimmy, who spent nearly 30 years on radio 2, was known as Baroness Thatcher’s favourite DJ and the then prime minister made 14 appearances on his show.
He also interviewed every other prime minister from Alec DouglasHome to Tony Blair. The Queen was also said to be among the millions of listeners who regularly tuned in.
Born Leslie ronald Young, Sir Jimmy signed up to the rAF after lying about his age in 1939 and later managed a hair salon before becoming a singer for Decca records in 1952, working with the likes of Gene Kelly.
He had hits with a cover of Nat King Cole’s Too Young and his version of Unchained Melody which topped the UK charts in 1955 for three weeks.
Sir Jimmy’s first job in broadcasting was as a presenter for Housewives’ Choice in 1955.
in 1967, he landed a three-month contract as a full-time BBC presenter on radio 1, a role he stayed in for six years by attracting audiences of up to 7million.
His catchphrases, such as ‘What’s the recipe today, Jim?’ and ‘Orft we jolly well go’, became famous.
Sir Jimmy went on to front the early afternoon slot on radio 2 from 1973 until he was axed in December 2002 at the age of 81 and replaced by Jeremy Vine.
His sacking by the BBC sparked public outrage and questions were even raised in Parliament.
The star was awarded his knighthood in 1993 for services to broadcasting. Despite the anger over his departure, Sir Jimmy returned to the BBC for a one-off special for his 90th birthday.
Accountant Alan Coomber, listed as one of Sir Jimmy’s trustees, did not respond to a request for comment on the reasons the instruction was included in the will and whether it was carried out.