Bristish comedy legend, Tim Brooke-Taylor, star of The Goodies, dead of coronavirus
Tim Brooke-Taylor, star of classic British TV comedy, The Goodies, has succumbed to coronavirus at the age of 79.
Entertainment
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Tim Brooke-Taylor, who became a comedy icon as part of The Goodies, has died of coronavirus, aged 79.
The British actor and writer of the hit 1970s show was among the more than 10,000 people in the UK who have succumbed to the virus.
The star’s agent confirmed the news on Sunday (local time).
Brooke-Taylor was best known for The Goodies, which ran from 1970 to 1982, which also made Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden household names.
The trio became cultural icons, in much the same way that the Monty Python crew transformed comedy.
The series was mainly slapstick and was rerun many times in Australia over the decades.
Garden said he was shocked at the loss of his friend.
“I am terribly saddened by the loss of a dear colleague and close friend of over 50 years,” he said.
Thank you everyone who has sent kind messages about the loss of Tim. It’s devastating to lose a friend and colleague of 50+ years. Fun, sociable and adorably silly, Tim was a class act. Our thoughts are with his family.
— Graeme Garden (@GraemeGarden1) April 12, 2020
I was obsessed with ‘The Goodies’ as a child, the first comedy show I really loved. I queued up to get the Goodies’ autographs as a grown-up, and got to meet Tim Brooke-Taylor more recently at a party. I was in total awe, but he was so kind & generous. It is so sad he is gone. pic.twitter.com/wxyGpJoyIU
— David Walliams (@davidwalliams) April 12, 2020
I’m so so sad that a big comedy hero from my childhood, Tim Brooke-Taylor, has passed. Loved his energy & go for broke, try anything silliness. He made it seem like making people laugh was the best job in the world. Please allow me to repost this thread in tribute to his lunacy. https://t.co/TzZYx742tq
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 12, 2020
“Tim and I met at Cambridge University in the early 1960s and have enjoyed working together almost constantly from that time onwards, on radio, stage, and TV.
“He was a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with.
“Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable.”
Brooke-Taylor’s agent confirmed the news.
“It is with great sadness that we announce Tim’s death early today from COVID-19,” his agent said.
Just heard the devastating news of the death of Tim Brooke-Taylor. A hero for as long as I can remember, and –on a few golden occasions – a colleague and collaborator on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. Gentle, kind, funny, wise, warm, but piercingly witty when he chose to be. So sad
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) April 12, 2020
So sad that lovely - and much loved- Tim Brooke-Taylor has died. Always a Goodie, his modesty belied a huge legacy in British comedy- in show after show from Cambridge days on, from I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again to Clue. 1/3
— Rory Bremner (@rorybremner) April 12, 2020
I'm very saddened to hear of the loss of our old friend and fellow Pembroke alum Tim Brooke-Taylor. He and Bill Oddie auditioned me for the Pembroke Smoker in 1963, starting my career. I always thought him a wonderful man, funny, kind and generous. Merde. This fucking virus.
— Eric Idle (@EricIdle) April 12, 2020
#Goodies Eccentric exuberance and wild innocent energy. To our young generation they were Adrenalin. Tim Brooke-Taylor never waned. Never disappointed. Such sad and bitter news is this. https://t.co/W6n5HnKnPZ
— Alison Moyet (@AlisonMoyet) April 12, 2020
“Joining Footlights in 1960 took him to providing a huge variety of splendid entertainment – television, radio, theatre, film, books, DVDs, CDs, quizzes, etc – all of which he undertook with energy and a great sense of fun.
“We will remember him for so much but must just mention The Goodies and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue.
“He had, of course, many fans whom he always treated cheerfully even after long and exhausting rehearsals and recordings.
“He was an exceptional client and a pleasure to represent.
“We’re grateful that we have so much of his work to view, read and listen to.
“In all the time with us and in all his showbiz work, he has been supported by Christine, his wife.”
“His loss at this dreadful time is particularly hard to bear and my thoughts are with Christine, Ben, Edward and their families.”
Brooke-Taylor was born in Derbyshire, England in 1940 and he married his wife Christine in 1968.
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