Barry Humphries’ final days revealed, Kathy Lette tells of friendship
Close friends of Barry Humphries, including Aussie author Kathy Lette, have opened up about how the legendary comic spent his last days.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Legendary comic Barry Humphries spent his final days making people laugh as he cracked jokes in hospital, his close friends have revealed.
An emotional Kathy Lette has described her friend of 40 years as the greatest comic since Charlie Chaplin.
“He always found the funny side of everything no matter how grim and bleak things were,” the Australian author told Seven’s Sunrise.
“Even when I visited him in hospital in Sydney, his one aim was to make the nurses laugh and to make his hospital visitors feel at home. He was cracking jokes all the time.
“Which must have taken a huge emotional toll because he was in a lot of pain at times.”
Author Lette told Sunrise Humphries was “so deliciously self-deprecating” except when he was playing Dame Edna, who she described as “the most venomous creature in the world”.
“Her wit was poisonous and you never want to sit in the first few rows in a concert because he would get here if you went up on stage, you would be absolutely annihilated by that incredibly sharp tongue.
“He had the black belt in tongue. When he would come around for dinner parties and lunches and things, he would be like the Wimbledon of wit, he would banter back and forth.
My beloved Barry roasting me on my birthday. âOf course Kathy, sixty is the newâ¦sixty.â Witty, gritty, wicked, original, wise & wonderful - the greatest comic since Charlie Chaplin. Hereâs to the late, great #BarryHumphriespic.twitter.com/KLe4fUC4wR
— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) April 22, 2023
“He could play with language and he gave us a lot of our vocabulary. Shakespeare gave us a lot of our phrases but so did Barry, all our colourful Australian lingo about the technicolour yawn and pointing Percy at the porcelain. All of those jokes and one-liners we use all the time originated from his creative genius.
Farewell to my favourite person. Heartbroken. RIP dearest darling. #BarryHumphriespic.twitter.com/ZeVVKsITUZ
— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) April 22, 2023
Lette’s tribute came as Welsh actor Rob Brydon revealed he was with Humphries just three days before his death at the age of 89 in Sydney.
The beloved star was making those around him laugh right up to the end, Brydon said.
RIP Barry Humphries. A true great who inspired me immeasurably. It was a delight to call him my friend.
— Rob Brydon (@RobBrydon) April 22, 2023
I've been in Australia and was with him only 3 days ago. He was, as ever, making me laugh. His talent shone until the very end.
My love goes out to Lizzie and all the family. pic.twitter.com/G5aJfLiVkK
In a touching tweet, Brydon posted a snap of him with his arm around the beloved Australian entertainer, writing: “RIP Barry Humphries.
“A true great who inspired me immeasurably. It was a delight to call him my friend.
“I’ve been in Australia and was with him only 3 days ago. He was, as ever, making me laugh.
“His talent shone until the very end. My love goes out to Lizzie and all the family.”
Another touching photo from last December showed Humphries with a female fan and his wife Lizzie Spender.
The image showed the ever-dapper Humphries, dressed in pink chinos and a striped shirt, posing for a happy snap with reiki healer Penelope Tsimidou, who is based in Greece.
“I am so grateful for meeting and working with an amazing people like you,” Ms Tsimidou posted at the time.
“Celebrities with a great sense of humour, kindness, politeness.”
Originally published as Barry Humphries’ final days revealed, Kathy Lette tells of friendship