‘I’m Derryn Hinch. That’s life’: Veteran broadcaster to be farewelled in state funeral

July 19, 2026 — 3:59pm Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch will be remembered in a state funeral on Monday afternoon, led by friends and former colleagues Ray Martin and Darren James. Derryn Hinch (pictured in February 2024) earned the moniker “the Human Headline”. He died on Friday at the age of 82. Justin McManus Hinch died peacefully in his sleep on July 10, age 82, after a long battle with a series of infections arising from a bad fall last year. The controversial figure, known commonly as “the Human Headline”, will be farewelled on Monday afternoon at The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne. Long-time friend and broadcaster Darren James, of 3AW , will lead the service as master of ceremonies. In a 90-minute chat with former 3AW host Tony Tardio less than four months before his death, Hinch reflected on how he would like to be remembered. “I plan to have my funeral at the Comedy theatre in Melbourne. I’ll get my mate, Darren James, to be the emcee because, of course I’ll play as I’m taken out of the funeral, they’ll play (Frank Sinatra’s hit) That’s Life, I’ll record: ‘I’m Derryn Hinch. That’s life. Goodbye,’ and that will be the end of it,” he said. “That’s life”, of course, was his famous sign-off during decades on television and radio. Journalist Ray Martin will deliver a special tribute. The pair first forged a friendship while working as reporters for rival news outlets in New York in the 1970s – Martin for the ABC, and Hinch for Fairfax. In 1994, he took the reins from Martin as host of Nine ’s daytime variety program The Midday Show , a move that was seen as a shock decision given his reputation as a hard-hitting news journalist. “We competed but we played up as well,” Martin said of his friend. “I’m a huge fan; I think he was a tabloid journo in the very best sense of the word. Tabloid journalism has got its place and he was the very best I ever came across in terms of his sense of story and his writing style. I’ve never seen anyone who loved scoops as much as he did...” The service will be live-streamed from the Victorian government’s website , 9Melbourne and 9Now and 7NEWS from 12pm AEST. Free tickets are open to the public, with registration closing at 11am on Monday. In lieu of flowers, and at the request of Hinch’s family, memorial donations can be made to children’s charity Variety, which Hinch worked closely with throughout his career. Derryn Hinch and Ray Martin at the Channel 9 studio in 1994. Barry Chapman/Fairfax Media The service is expected to be attended by friends, family and a number of media and political figures from the journalist’s life. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among those who paid tribute to Hinch following his death. “Derryn Hinch lived a life rich in colour and free from fear,” Albanese wrote on X. “As an interviewer, investigator and presenter he was much more than ‘the Human Headline’. He had a sense of the deeper story and the courage to cover it, come what may. He held to those same instincts as a senator and he fought illness with that same bravery. My sincere condolences to his family and his many friends.” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan also remembered the veteran broadcaster, writing on X: “Derryn Hinch lived a life made for the front page. For decades, his voice boomed through radios and TVs into our cars and homes. The thing about Derryn was that you never had to wonder what he thought. He told you straight.” Senator Derryn Hinch speaking in federal parliament in 2018. Alex Ellinghausen Born in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1944, Hinch’s journalism career started at The Taranaki Herald in his home town aged just 15. At 18, he moved to Sydney, thus launching a long stint with the Fairfax group starting at The Sun , the afternoon tabloid sibling of The Sydney Morning Herald , before spending more than a decade in New York where he became bureau chief. In 1976, he returned to Sydney to edit The Sun . Two years later, he moved to Melbourne to host the morning show on 3XY before jumping to rival 3AW the following year, cementing his status as one of Australian airwaves’ best known and controversial voices. After moving to television in 1987, he became known as “the mouth from the south” to northern viewers and “the beast from the east” to those in WA. But Hinch’s larger-than-life career took him beyond Australian screens and radios – including forays into acting and Australian politics. In 2016, he was elected to the Australian Senate under Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party, where he was a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform, particularly around violent and sexual offenders. Failing to be re-elected, after serving a single half-term of three years, was one of his greatest disappointments. “Being voted out was one of the most terrible days of my life,” Hinch told A Current Affair ’s Martin King last year. Hinch’s personal life was just as colourful as his public one, having been married five times to four different women : editor Lana Wells, flight attendant Eve Carpenter, actor Jacki Weaver (first in 1983 and again in 1997) and Chanel Hayton. He leaves behind long-term partner Lynda Stoner, an Australian animal rights advocate with whom he rekindled a relationship in 2016. Hinch’s last public post, just hours before his death on a Friday afternoon, was of his eldest brother enjoying a beer in the sunshine. “A casual pic of my brother Des who is usually very earnest,” he captioned the Facebook post. As Hinch said in his last televised interview with ACA’ s Martin King last year, sitting on his balcony overlooking the grounds of Melbourne Grammar: “This would be a great place to cark it. Sitting in that chair, staring at the clouds. Goodnight nurse, goodbye world.” There will be a live blog of the state funeral on smh.com.au and theage.com.au on Monday afternoon. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter . From our partners