Comedian Tony Slattery dies aged 65 after heart attack | Tony Slattery

The comic and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 after a coronary heart assault, his associate has introduced.

Slattery was identified for his improvisations on the favored comedy present Whose Line Is It Anyway?, in addition to his appearances on Only a Minute and Have I Obtained Information for You.

A press release on behalf of Mark Michael Hutchinson, his associate of greater than three a long time, mentioned: “It’s with nice disappointment we should announce actor and comic Tony Slattery, aged 65, has handed away right now, Tuesday morning, following a coronary heart assault on Sunday night.”

Paying tribute to Slattery, the comic Sandi Toksvig mentioned: “I don’t suppose I ever met a extra stunning man than Tony Slattery. I used to be 19 after we met and thought he was astonishing.

“Beautiful to have a look at, wonderful smile, infectious snigger and a streak of kindness a mile extensive. I beloved him. All of us did. In a crowded room of expertise, he was the brightest and the perfect.”

Clive Anderson, who hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?, mentioned: “With fast wit and gorgeous beauty Tony was unfailingly humorous and much more unfailingly outrageous. He wouldn’t use two phrases if a ruder one would do – the naughtiest child within the class, adored by the studio viewers and people watching on TV.”

Born right into a working-class household in north London in 1959, Slattery gained a scholarship to check medieval and trendy languages at Cambridge College.

At Cambridge he was the modern of Dame Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie and Sir Stephen Fry – who invited him to affix the Cambridge Footlights, the college’s well-known novice dramatics membership. Quickly, Slattery was named president of the membership, following within the footsteps of Eric Idle, Clive Anderson and Peter Cook dinner. “Getting up on stage and listening to laughter took over,” he as soon as mentioned.

Slattery had just lately been touring a comedy present in England, and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Membership, in October.

Exterior standup, he appeared in movies within the Nineteen Eighties and 90s, together with the crime thriller The Crying Recreation, Peter’s Mates, wherein Laurie, Fry and Thompson additionally appeared, and the comedy Methods to Get Forward in Promoting, with Richard E Grant.

He additionally had outstanding roles within the theatre, receiving a 1995 Olivier award nomination for finest comedy efficiency for the Tim Firth play Neville’s Island, which was later made into a movie starring Timothy Spall. He additionally starred within the second world war-set manufacturing Privates on Parade, primarily based on the movie of the identical identify, because the ace impersonator Captain Terri Dennis.

His West Finish debut was within the Nineteen Thirties-style musical Radio Instances, and on TV he additionally performed a detective in Tiger Bastable, a spoof comedy present, and the title character within the sitcom Only a Gigolo.

However he can be most remembered for his work on the Channel 4 flagship comedy present Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which noticed performers conduct a sequence of quick improvisation video games with ideas from the host or the viewers.

Slattery appeared in 48 episodes from 1988 to 1995, turning into one of many present’s hottest performers. His departure in sequence seven affected the present’s scores.

Anderson added: “Extra just lately we did a reside, stage model of Whose Line on the Edinburgh Pageant. Older and wiser, a bit battered, having endured many an up and down in life, Tony was nonetheless the naughtiest child within the class. And viewers nonetheless adored him.”

Slattery spoke brazenly about his bipolar dysfunction, telling the Guardian in 2019: “I had a really completely happy time till I went barely barmy.”

In 2020 he revealed he went bankrupt after experiencing substance abuse and psychological well being issues. He informed the Radio Instances his “fiscal illiteracy and basic innumeracy”, in addition to his “misplaced belief in individuals”, had additionally contributed to his monetary issues.

Slattery launched the BBC Two Horizon documentary What’s the Matter With Tony Slattery? in the identical 12 months, wherein he and Hutchinson visited main consultants on temper problems and dependancy.

He had beforehand appeared within the 2006 BBC Two programme The Secret Lifetime of the Manic Depressive to talk about his situation.

He mentioned: “I rented an enormous warehouse by the River Thames. I simply stayed in there by myself, didn’t open the mail or reply the telephone for months and months and months. I used to be simply in a pool of despair and mania.”

Slattery additionally made appearances within the closing Keep on movie, Keep on Columbus, in addition to Robin Hood, Pink Dwarf, The English Harem, Chilly Blood, The Royal and Coronation Avenue.

He gained the primary Perrier award on the Edinburgh fringe together with Fry and Thompson, was one of many authentic patrons of Leicester comedy competition with Norman Knowledge and Sean Hughes, and had been a rector on the College of Dundee.

Different comics who paid tribute to Slattery on Tuesday included Richard Herring, Al Murray, Arthur Smith, Jonathan Pie, and the Completely Fabulous actor Helen Lederer.

Murray referred to as Slattery “a blinding expertise”. Smith paid tribute to Slattery’s “sensible fast wit”, whereas Pie referred to as him “a genius.”.

Lederer mentioned: “My finest good friend in laughter, wit, love, absurdity, being my finest man (twice), we adored you – what is going to we do now?”