Johnny Ruffo

John Patrick Ruffo (8 March 1988 – 10 November 2023) was an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actor, and television presenter. He rose to prominence after been the last contestant eliminated on the third season of The X Factor Australia. His debut single "On Top", peaked at number fourteen on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum. His second single "Take It Home" (2012), peaked at number thirty in Australia and earned a gold music certification. In total he released seven singles during his career.

Outside of music Ruffo ventured into reality television and won the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars Australia. In 2013, he made his acting debut in Home and Away, portraying the role of Chris Harrington until 2016. For his role he earned a Logie Nomination for Most Popular New Talent.

Early life John Patrick Ruffo was born on 8 March 1988, in Balcatta, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, to parents Jill and Pascoe Ruffo. Ruffo's parents separated when he was three years old. He spent most of his youth living in a small Homeswest unit with his mother.

Ruffo performed the following songs on The X Factor:

ShowSong choiceOriginal ArtistThemeResult Auditions"Do You Remember" Jay Sean Free choiceThrough to bootcamp Bootcamp"With You" Chris Brown Through to home visits"The Edge of Glory" Lady Gaga Home visits"Burn" UsherThrough to live shows Live show 1"Moves Like Jagger" Maroon 5Judges' choiceSafe Live show 2"Down" Jay SeanParty anthemsSafe Live show 3"Here Without You" 3 Doors DownRockSafe Live show 4"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" Meat LoafThe 90sBottom two Live show 4 (bottom two)"Just the Way You Are" Bruno MarsFree choiceSafe Live show 5"What Goes Around... Comes Around" Justin TimberlakeNumber-one hitsSafe Live show 6"Lost Without You" Delta GoodremAustralian hitsBottom two Live show 6 (bottom two)"Billie Jean" Michael JacksonFree choiceSafe Live show 7"Without You" David Guetta ft. UsherDanceSafe Live show 8"Sir Duke" Stevie WonderLegendsSafe Semi-final"So Sick" Ne-YoEmotional songSafe"Tonight Tonight" Hot Chelle RaeUplifting song Final"Do You Remember" Jay SeanAudition songEliminated"Sir Duke" Stevie WonderSong of the series"Shoop"/"Push It" (with Salt-n-Pepa) Salt-n-PepaSuperstar duet"You Don't Wanna Know" RuffoWinner's single

2011–2014: record deal, Dancing with the Stars and Home and Away Shortly after the completion of The X Factor, Ruffo told News Limited on 30 November 2011 that he was offered a record deal with a major record label, whose name he was not allowed to confirm at the time. He also revealed that he had already recorded several new tracks, stating "I've been in the studio in Perth recording some singles, quite a few different tracks so we can get the right one out there for my first release. The songs are very much my style, which is pop, R&B, mainstream sort of stuff". On 16 December 2011, he co-hosted the radio program Nova's Fresh Hits with Daniel "Gawndy" Gawned on Nova FM. On 20 December 2011, he performed at the Melbourne State Library as part of the Optus Celebrity Carols initiative to raise money for World Vision Australia.

In January 2012, he announced that he was working on his debut album in New York City. He was a supporting act for Reece Mastin's first headlining national tour in Adelaide on 28, 29 and 31 January. In March 2012, it was revealed that the record label he had signed with was Sony Music Australia. The following month, he became a celebrity contestant on the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars and was partnered with professional dancer Luda Kroitor. Later that month, he was a supporting act for One Direction's Australian leg of their Up All Night Tour. On 18 April 2012, he was announced as the runner-up of Cleo magazine's 2012 Bachelor of the Year contest. In May 2012, he was a supporting act for New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys' Australian leg of their NKOTBSB Tour.

His debut single "On Top" was released on 15 June 2012. The song peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 70,000 copies. His winnings from the show were donated to the Youth Off The Streets charity. His second single "Take It Home" was released on 19 October 2012, and reached number 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

In April 2013, he made his acting debut in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away as Chris Harrington. He was initially contracted to appear in 16 episodes, but this was later extended. His third single "Untouchable" was released on 12 July 2013, and debuted at number 39 on the ARIA Singles Chart. On 11 December 2015, he released a Christmas single, a cover of "White Christmas". On 27 April 2016, Channel 7 announced that Ruffo had left Home and Away to pursue new challenges. He stated, "I've loved my time in Summer Bay. There's a lot more coming up for Chris and I hope fans continue enjoying his time on screen." His final episode of Home and Away screened on 22 September 2016. On 10 May 2016, it was announced that he would be featuring in the Channel Nine miniseries, House of Bond, about former WA businessman Alan Bond, to be filmed in Perth and Sydney. House of Bond aired on 24 and 25 April 2017.

2017–2023: Brain tumour, "Broken Glass", and "Let's Get Lost" On 10 August 2017, Ruffo announced that he had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumour, which was discovered after he went to the hospital suffering from a migraine. He posted post-surgery photos on his social media accounts asking fans to "keep him in their thoughts". A week later, he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and would begin aggressive treatment as soon as possible.

During a radio interview in May 2019, he told radio hosts Fitzy & Wippa that he was "currently clear of cancer". In June 2019, he released his first new single in four years titled, "Broken Glass". Ruffo told Channel 7: "This song is probably the most vulnerable song I've written. It's very personal for me. It's loosely about my experiences in the past two or three years – and about being down and out – not necessarily about cancer, but about anything like depression or losing a loved one." In 2020, he had a small recurring role in Neighbours as prison guard Owen Campbell.

In November 2020, Ruffo announced that his brain cancer had returned. In June 2021, he confirmed his cancer was "now stable". He released a single "Let's Get Lost", which he told The Morning Show was inspired by wanting to "pack up the car and get lost, just get away from everything for a while... the whole rigmarole of medication and chemotherapy, the stress of all of that." In August 2022, he released his memoir, entitled No Finish Line.

Personal life, illness, and death Ruffo was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and after treatment it went into remission. In 2020, he announced on his social media pages that his cancer had returned.

In August 2022, Ruffo revealed that his cancer was terminal and in the following month in September, he said that he wanted to live until Christmas. He died on 10 November 2023, at the age of 35.

Influences Ruffo cited Michael Jackson, Usher, and Justin Timberlake as his musical influences because they led him to combine his love for singing and dancing.

Tours Supporting act Reece Mastin's Australian Tour (2012) One Direction's Up All Night Tour: Australian leg (2012) New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys' NKOTBSB Tour: Australian leg (2012)

Discography Singles +List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart position Certifications AUS "On Top" 2012 14 ARIA: Platinum "Take It Home" 30 ARIA: Gold "Untouchable" 2013 39 "She Got That O" 2015 — "White Christmas" — "Broken Glass" 2019 — "Let's Get Lost"

Music videos +List of music videos Title Year Director(s) "On Top" 2012 "Take It Home" "Untouchable" 2013 "She Got That O" 2015 "Broken Glass" 2019 Michael Tan

Filmography