DIRTY DEN'S LAST WORDS
EastEnder jokes on deathbed
ACTOR Leslie Grantham cracked a tongue-in-cheek gag to a pal as he lay on his deathbed.
The EastEnders legend, who played Dirty Den Watts in the soap, died yesterday, aged 71.
Actress Letitia Dean, who appeared on the BBC soap as his on-screen daughter Sharon Watts, said: “He never failed to make me laugh.”
EASTENDERS legend Leslie Grantham joked to a close pal “am I f***ing dying or something?” just before his death.
Tributes flooded in last night for the
71-year-old who played Dirty Den Watts in the show.
The soap rogue, known for his on-screen battles with telly wife Angie, spent his last days secretly battling cancer in hospital.
He was so ill he could “barely hold his head up”.
But close friends last night said he was defiant to the end, joking on his deathbed about meeting his maker.
Joe Tracini, son of comedian Joe Pasquale, was a close pal of Grantham’s. He said: “I held his hand for a while, kissed his forehead and told him I loved him.
“As I left he bellowed, ‘What, am I f***ing dying or something?’ We’ll miss you, Les.”
Walford co-stars last night also paid tribute to the “amazing” actor.
Angie actress Anita Dobson said: “He was a good-looking guy, he was a charmer, he was funny, he was a good actor. And he was fun to be around.
“There was always that bit about him that was slightly unpredictable, which I liked and what gave him the edge on TV.”
Leslie joined the soap at its start in
1985 and played Den until 1989 when he was “killed off ”.
He came back in 2003 for two years before being killed off for good.
Funeral
During his first stint, Leslie earned the Dirty Den nickname for the several affairs he had in Albert Square.
And 30million people tuned in on Christmas Day 1986 when he famously served his long-suffering spouse with divorce papers, saying: “Happy Christmas, Ange”.
His agent confirmed his death yesterday, adding that a private funeral for family and close friends will take place soon. Anita, 69, hinted at Leslie’s controversial life before his TV fame when he was convicted of murdering a German taxi driver while a serving soldier.
She added: “Leslie, as you know, had a chequered life before EastEnders but we sort of understood each other.” Letitia Dean, who still plays Den’s adopted daughter Sharon, added: “He never failed to make me laugh and I will remember him with love, affection and gratitude.”
Ian Beale actor Adam Woodyatt added: “He created one of the most watched and iconic pieces of British television.” Leslie had been living in Bulgaria after his divorce from wife Jane Laurie in 2013 but returned to Britain for treatment.
He had three children – Spike, 31, Jake, 29, and Daniel, 23. EastEnders’ executive consultant John Yorke said everyone at the soap was “deeply saddened”. The Star Says: Page 6