John Farnham is an Aussie icon, best known for his smash hit song You’re The Voice. Though being regarded as an Aussie icon, John was actually born in Dagenham, Essex, England…
John didn’t move to Australia until he was 10 years old. He later became an official Australian citizen and wound up being awarded the Australian of the Year award in 1987.
John Farnham and his wife Jillian share two sons, Robert and James.
WATCH NOW: John Farnham performs You’re the Voice. Article continues after video.
Recently, John’s eldest son Rob announced his long-awaited marriage to his “best friend” and longtime partner, Melissa Kelly.
“On Saturday I married my best friend and dream girl Mel Kel,’’ Rob posted to social media.
“It was such a beautiful day and I am so happy and full of love. I appreciate everyone who made the trip to the event. Mel and I can’t wait to spend a lifetime with you.”
The entire family came together to celebrate the happy occasion.
Amid the happy news, the Farnham family has had a tough time recently…
In 2023, John’s name flooded Australian news sites after having a tumour removed from his mouth following his shock cancer diagnosis, in August 2022; he also had to have part of his jaw removed during the invasive surgery.
While John has now recovered, his youngest son, James Farnham, has recently revealed that he had “major surgery” in 2023 to deal with diverticular disease.
On January 16, 2024, James took to Instagram to share a post-surgery photo and shared some insight into his disease.
“Last year, just as Dad was recovering from his cancer surgeries, I also had major surgery to deal with diverticular disease that had caused perforations in my bowel,” he began.
“The surgery saved my life but it has left me with a stoma — a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows me to poo … into a temporary colostomy bag.
“With any luck, I will be receiving my reversal surgery in the next couple (of) months.”
It was obviously a turbulent time for both John and James, but thankfully they had a loving, supportive family by their side.
Read on to learn more about John Farnham’s incredible family…
John was born on July 1, 1949, to John Peter Farnham Sr., and Rose (née Pemberton) Farnham. He has two older sisters, Jean and Jacqueline, and one younger brother, Steven.
Is John Farnham still married?
Yes! John is still married to Jillian Billman.
Who is John Farnham’s wife?
In the early 1970s, John was starring in the Australian production of Charlie Girl. During the musical’s run, he met dancer Jillian Billman. The two began dating and eventually got married on April 11, 1973 at St Matthew’s Church Of England in Glenroy, Melbourne.
In a 1993 interview with 60 Minutes, John spoke about the moment he met his wife and knew she was the one.
“Jillie came out of the theatre and I saw her. At that stage, she had very long dark hair, down to her very petite bum, and I was history.”
“It took me about three months to get a kiss. We started to go out together and it naturally happened. It was just something that happened,” John said.
How old are Farnham’s sons?
John’s son Robert Farnham is 44 years old. Robert grew up playing guitar and performing with a local band in his hometown, Melbourne.
He is now a singer/songwriter (the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree) for the rock band Rival Fire, who signed with Sony Music Australia in 2015. Rival Fire has toured with popular bands such as Butterfly Effect and Dead Letter Circus as well as major names like KISS and Birds of Tokyo.
Robert has also acted in a few projects, including the films Queen of the Damned and The Wilde Girls.
In November 2022, Robert announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Melissa Kelly.
“My best friend and love of my life said yes to marrying me,” Robert wrote in a Facebook post.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” The two later married on February 17, 2024.
John’s youngest son, James Farnham is currently 36 years old and works in the music business as a concert audio technician. James has actually worked on a few of his dad’s tours.
James is also training to become a helicopter pilot, however, following John’s shock illness in 2023, both sons put their lives on hold to be with their father during this time.
James is currently in a relationship with Tessa Effendi. The two started dating back in 2007 and have since travelled extensively together.
Both Robert and James are quite close with their father; Rob told The Australian Women’s Weekly, “We are really proud of him. He’s inspiring us every day, but then again, he always has,” when speaking about John.
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