Johnny Esposito celebrates his 78th birthday Saturday night in Buckhead.

“Mr. Nightlife’s” closest pals will be gathering Saturday night at the Landmark Diner’s side door in Buckhead as they help veteran nightclub owner Johnny Esposito usher in his 78th year.

Or as organizers are referring to it on the invitations:  ”Johnny Esposito’s 39th 39th Birthday Party!” For years, the Johnny’s Hideaway namesake has thrown himself an annual birthday bash in order to raise money for his favorite charity, The American Diabetes Association.

Despite his protests, his pals have turned the tables on Esposito this year and will collect money for him. Esposito, a longtime diabetic himself, has spent the past year battling back from a series of increasingly severe health issues and mounting medical bills. His friends are returning the favor tonight.

“I call Johnny my foxhole friend,” veteran Atlanta comic Jerry Farber told Buzz Friday when we rang his cellphone in the middle of a golf game. “His is my closest friend. I can’t tell you how many times over the years Johnny has rescued me when my life was a whole lot more tumultuous. Now, we’re here to help Johnny anyway we can. It’s the very least we can do.”

The party at The Landmark Diner (located on the corner of Roswell and Piedmont Rds) begins Saturday  at 6 p.m.