Celebrities mourn real stand-up guy
FROM PAGE ONE show in 2015 after 13 years. But the former Govan shipyard worker started out in showbiz as long ago as 1951 in an amateur dramatic show and never looked back.
Johnny went on to become a stand-up comic, panto dame and TV quiz show host on STV’s Now You See It in the 80s, as well as starring opposite Liam Neeson in the 1990 flick The Big Man.
He was one of the giants of Scotland’s comedy scene alongside the likes of Rikki Fulton, Jack Milroy and Stanley Baxter.
His passing at St Margaret’s Hospice in Clydebank has left the Scottish showbiz world in mourning.
Country singing star Sydney Devine led tributes, saying: “Johnny was one of showbiz’s gentleman.
“You never heard him say a bad word about anybody.
“He always tried to help someone. It is very sad. There are not very many of that school left.”
Actor Tom Urie, who co-starred on River City, recalled Johnny telling him about sharing the bill with Laurel and Hardy.
He said: “Johnny was part of Scotland’s golden era of showbiz – he was like our Sinatra, our Dean Martin.
“His stories of the Glasgow music halls were wonderful and a kinder, warmer, more friendly gentleman you could never hope to meet.
“He never seemed like an old man, he had a youthful energy that was infectious and he was one of the last of that great Scottish music hall generation.”
Singer Peter Morrison said: “What a life he had. Everyone was always so pleased to see him.
“After Johnny starred in River City, it elevated his superior status to a new level.
“He was besieged by all the youngsters. He was a bastion of Scottish variety.”
Johnny was married for 33 years to wife Kitty, who passed away from cancer in 1994.
The couple had four children including daughter Maureen, who went on to star in Casualty, and Louise, who quit acting to become a solicitor, along with sons Paul and Mark.
Allasdair Gillies, president of the Scottish Showbiz Benevolent Fund, was contacted by Maureen to be told the sad news yesterday.
He said: “He added a quality to our lives beyond measure.
“He’s the last of the greats and will be hugely missed.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also paid tribute to Johnny.
She said: “He was a hugely talented performer and a truly lovely man.
“Today, we’ve lost a national treasure and my thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Donalda MacKinnon, director of BBC Scotland, added: “Johnny Beattie dedicated his life to the entertainment of others and we thank him for the joy and laughter he brought to audiences across his long and varied career.”