Didn’t he do well!
Nation mourns showbiz legend, dead at age 89
THE undisputed king of British TV entertainment died peacefully at home yesterday with his wife and children at his side.
Sir Bruce Forsyth was 89. He brought joy into the homes of millions for decades as host of shows including Strictly Come Dancing and The Generation Game.
HE was an entertainer to the end. Asked recently what he’d been doing in his 19 months out of the public eye, Sir Bruce Forsyth joked: “I’ve been very, very busy – being ill!” The TV legend’s long struggle with his health came to a peaceful conclusion yesterday afternoon at his home in Surrey, with wife Wilnelia and his children around him. Bruce, 89, died after suffering from bronchial pneumonia. The song-and-dance man, comic, actor and consummate TV presenter had devoted his life to showbiz over nine amazing decades, and his many admirers hailed him last night as a true national treasure.
BBC director general Tony Hall called Bruce “one of the greatest entertainers our country has ever known”.
He added: “He has delighted millions of people and defined Saturday night television for decades, with shows like the Generation Game and, most recently, Strictly.
“His warmth and his wit were legendary.
“I’ve never seen anyone quite like him when it comes to performing in front of a crowd. He had a remarkable chemistry with his audience – that’s what made him such an amazing professional and so loved.
“He has been part of all of our lives, and we’ll miss him dearly.”
Bruce’s manager Ian Wilson confirmed his loss in an emotional statement.
He said: “A couple of weeks ago, a friend visited him and asked him what he had been doing these last months.
“With a twinkle in his eye, he responded “I’ve been very, very busy... being ill!
“Unfortunately, not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.
“The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have sent cards and letters to Bruce wishing him well over his long illness.
“They know that they will share in part, the great, great loss they feel.”
Bruce hosted Strictly for nearly a decade and it took him back to the very top of British TV. But even without it, his stints on Sunday Night at the London Palladium and the Generation Game would have secured his place of honour in the elite.
He defied time for decades. He was well past pension age when he began his 11-series Strictly run, and well into his 80s when he finally bowed out. For many years, he seemed immortal.
But he faced a gruelling succession of health problems in his final years.
Bruce was hospitalised in March with a severe chest infection and spent five nights in intensive care.
And he had surgery in 2015 on two aneurysms – swellings in main blood vessels – which doctors discovered after he suffered a nasty fall at home.
Brucie was too frail to attend the funerals of close friends
Ronnie Corbett and Sir Terry Wogan, and had to stay at home in June last year when Wilnelia launched her home fragrance and candles business at Fortnum and Mason in London.
A source close to the star said at the time that his recovery was taking “longer than hoped”.
One of Brucie’s best friends, comic Jimmy Tarbuck, said this month that his pal was fighting hard to get back to health.
Tarby, 77, told an audience in Blackpool: “He’s OK but he’s a bit frail. He’s had an aneurysm. It’s very serious. I saw him a week ago and he is on good form.”
An insider said then: “It has been a long road to recovery after the fall and operations and we don’t know where or when the journey ends.
“Bruce is not at the point of resuming public life, and he may never do that.”
Wilnelia spoke last year about the struggle her husband of 36 years was going through – and her fear of losing him.
The former Miss World said: “I don’t think about it too much. I hope I’ll be prepared somehow but it doesn’t feel real.
“He’s the man I fell in love with because his brain is there. He has a bit of a problem moving but we still laugh and talk. “I pray, I believe. “The main thing is that he’s doing well. The pain is more emotional – sometimes we cry, but mostly we laugh.”
Talking about Bruce’s fall, Wilnelia, 59, added: “It was very scary to see him because he was very bruised. It was really, really awful.
“The doctor decided to do a whole-body scan and that’s when they found the aneurysms. One was in the abdomen and one was near his right hip.
“Then it was a big question, do we have the operation? As the doctors said, ‘If you have internal bleeding it’s very difficult to make it.’” But Wilnelia said Bruce continued to find enjoyment in life through all the hard times. He loved spending time with his
grandchildren and still had a passion for TV.
She said: “He enjoys watching Question Time, we do puzzles and he loves the internet.
“I used to go to a zumba class to keep fit, now I do it at home in front of him. The children come to stay all the time so there’s plenty of love around.”
Wilnelia said at the time that she still hoped Bruce would perform again.
But she added: “He doesn’t want to do anything publicly until he’s 100 per cent well. I respect that.
“The operation took his energy because of his age, there’s no question about it. Some days are better than others.
“On the not-so-good days, he tries to rest. He is in incredible shape mentally but he does get very tired.”
He’s still the man I love. I hope I’ll be prepared but it doesn’t feel real WILNELIA