TORONTO—Sue Johanson, the beloved Canadian broadcaster who in her later years gained fame with straightforward sex advice, has died at age 93, according to multiple news outlets.
Johanson died while she was in a long-term care home in Thornhill, Ontario, just north of Toronto, surrounded by her family.
The veteran broadcaster, who in the mid-aughts served as a spokesperson for CalExotics (then known as California Exotic Novelties) and had her own line of products with the company, was best known for hosting the Canadian call-in radio and then television program Sunday Night Sex Show, which led to a successful U.S. spinoff called Talk Sex With Sue Johanson.
Born in Toronto, Johanson began her medical career as a nurse, receiving her training in Winnipeg. During the 1970s, she opened a birth control clinic at a Toronto high school and ran it for almost two decades.
"She was a groundbreaker pioneer trooper. And she broke all the rules. And it was fabulous," Jane Johanson, her daughter, said Thursday during an interview with As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
A full-length documentary about Johanson's life, Sex With Sue, was released in 2022 by Canadian production company Banger Films. Directed by Lisa Rideout, it featured interviews with Johanson and many of her admirers in the mainstream and adult industries conducted between 2016-2018. Over the years, Johanson made numerous appearances on U.S. talk shows including those hosted by late-night titans David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien.
The news of Johanson's death was first reported Thursday morning by Canada's CBC News. Read the outlet's full story here.
Screen shot of Talk Sex With Sue Johanson from YouTube.
