Mac Cocker, English-born Australian radio presenter, Dead

  Media

Mac Cocker was born in Sheffield, England died on June 3, 2016.

He was an English-born Australian radio announcer.

He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio network for 33 years, with stints on Radio Australia, Triple J, Radio National and 105.7 ABC Darwin.

Mac was also known for being the father of Jarvis Cocker, the lead singer of the English rock band Pulp.

Previously he had worked as a DJ, musician, and actor.

Christine Connolly was his wife, they had a son, Jarvis in 1963, and a daughter, Saskia.

Nonetheless, Mac Cocker walked out on the family, in 1970, they woke up one morning to find a note that he had left them.

Cocker relocated to Sydney, Australia.

He was recruited in 1974 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) to work for Radio Australia on special projects in Melbourne.

During March 1975, Mac was one of the early staff of 2JJ or Double J, a new radio station established by the ABC.

And staying at 2JJ, which later became 2JJJ and then Triple J, until 1985 until he left and spent five years travelling around the world.

Then in 1984,Cocker made two minor appearances in television series, one in the cricket miniseries Bodyline, and one playing himself as a 2JJ DJ in the drama series Sweet and Sour about a band trying to make it in the Sydney music scene.

Then for a few years, Mac Cocker fostered the rumour that he was related to the singer Joe Cocker, who had the same surname and was also from Sheffield, although they were not actually related.

His friend and 2JJ colleague Mark Colvin would later recall that Mac produced a radio documentary as he travelled with Joe Cocker’s touring entourage entitled “I’m a Cocker, Too”.

During 1990, Cocker when back to Australia, and moved to Darwin in the Northern Territory.

And he when back to his career with ABC Radio, joining 105.7 ABC Darwin where he worked each of the regular shifts at some time, as well as presenting the specialist programs The Night Train, The Globetrotter and Louvred Lounge, as well as a weekly Vinyl Museum program for Radio National in the early 1990s.

Mac retired from the ABC in 2007 after a 33-year career.

He died in Darwin after a long illness.

Mac Cocker passed away in 2016.