Sue Johanson was a sex educator who, for decades, gave audiences in Canada and the US frank advice that helped to normalize sex.
The 93-year-old passed away on Thursday in a long-term care facility outside of Toronto, according to her family.
She eventually hosted a US spinoff of her popular domestic program, Sunday Night Sex Show.
She frequently filled in the sex education gaps for her North American audience.
At her daughter's high school, Don Mills Collegiate Institute, Johanson, a registered nurse, established one of Toronto's first birth control clinics in 1970. She oversaw it for 20 years.
She discovered her passion for educating people about sex while working at the clinic.
She was given a weekly two-hour call-in show on Toronto rock station Q107 in 1984.
She made the transition from radio to television by hosting the Sunday Night Sex Show program, which ran from 1996 to 2005.
She hosted the US spinoff, Talk Sex With Sue Johanson, from 2002 to 2008 because it was so well-liked. 23 additional nations, including Brazil and Europe, also broadcast it.
No question about sex was too taboo to ask, and Johanson became a cherished host.
"Horny is a beautiful thing," she once said.
Johanson spoke about sex education to thousands of teenagers and young adults in Canadian schools and wrote three books.
She received the Order of Canada in 2000, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the nation, in recognition of her work as "a strong, successful advocate for sex education in Canada over the last three decades.".
On Thursday, Jane Johanson, Sue's daughter, told CBC that "everyone felt like they had another mother or another grandmother with Sue.".
Jane Johanson said, "My mom was fantastic. "She never made snap decisions, was patronizing, or expressed disapproval of any inquiry that came her way. ".
Sue was a phenomenal, unstoppable force, according to Lisa Rideout, the director of the 2022 documentary Sex With Sue.
"She paved the way for how we talk about sex and sexuality today, unafraid of tearing down barriers and overturning conventional wisdom.
Despite the loss of a national treasure for Canada, Sue's legacy will continue to have a positive impact for years to come.
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