HEARTBREAKING: Millions of viewers tuned in to watch a comedy show, only to end up witnessing one of the saddest de@ths in British television history.
Huge British comedy star’s harrowing de@th on stage in front of millions of fans
A genius comedian died on stage while crowds laughed as they did not realise what was going on
Tommy Cooper died surrounded by laughter(Image: Daily Record)
Millions of viewers tuned in to watch a comedy show, only to end up witnessing one of the saddest de@ths in British television history.
On 15 April 1984, one of the country’s most beloved comedians put on the Live From Her Majesty’s show – but he had no idea that would be his last.
Welsh legend Tommy Cooper was 63 and, by then, had already built up his legacy and become known for his fez, bungled magic tricks, and booming catchphrase.
The show began as normal, but as Cooper was midway through his signature cloak sketch, he suddenly dropped down and slumped on stage.
The evening’s host, Jimmy Tarbuck, who was hiding behind the curtain feeding Cooper props for the routine, described watching it unfold and assuming it was an improvised number.
He was known for his signature fez hat(Image: Denis Kilcommons)
He wasn’t the only one – the audience kept laughing all throughout the minutes that followed, even as Cooper stopped moving or spasming. Several moments later, Tarbuck and the crew realised something had gone seriously wrong.
As the audience grew confused, the stream went to a break, and chaos ensued as producers scrambled to keep the broadcast running while desperately trying to help Cooper.
The crew then did their best to move Cooper’s 6ft 3 in body to a place where it would no longer be visible, right behind the curtain.
The show was still live, so the act that followed, Les Dennis and Dustin Gee, were forced to perform in the cramped space directly in front of the curtain, sadly unaware of the gravity of what was happening just feet away.
The following act was singer Howard Keel, who told Tarbuck he’d sing “up the f****** aisle” if it meant giving the crew more room to work.
A statue was erected in Tommy Cooper’s honor(Image: John Myers)
Finally, Cooper was taken to Westminster Hospital, where he was pronounced de@d on arrival. The news only broke publicly the next day.
Speaking years later Jimmy Tarbuck said: “I said to David Bell, one of the great producers, this isn’t it [part of the act]. ‘Now’, he said, ‘you know how he is. He’s put this in… And…I said, No… this is not him. I said, I’m telling you. I said, I’m going on David, this is live.”
Following the tragedy Tommy’s friend and actress Sheila Hancock said: “I think the way he died was perfect, really. I think he was happy on the stage. So he died in his happy place.”
In the years leading up to his de@th, Cooper was famously battling serious alcohol problems – something he later attributed to severe stage fright – along with heavy smoking that contributed to chronic bronchitis and circulation issues.
To this day, Tommy Cooper is known for his bumbling, chaotic persona, and as one of the most recognisable faces in British variety entertainment – in 2005, fellow comedians voted him the sixth greatest comedy act of all time, and a statue was unveiled in his hometown of Caerphilly in 2008 by lifelong fan Sir Anthony Hopkins.
