An icon, a one-off and a true professor of comedy
Russ Abbott on the late
STARS across the world of entertainment have paid tribute to comedy giant Sir Ken Dodd following his death aged 90.
Sir Paul Mccartney, Russ Abbot and David Walliams were among those mourning the legendary funnyman after his death was announced yesterday.
Sir Paul wrote on Instagram: “Farewell to my fellow Liverpudlian the tattyfilarious Ken Dodd. Beloved by many people in Britain and a great champion of his home city and comedy. We met him on a few occasions as The Beatles and always ended up in tears of laughter. Today it’s tears of sadness as well. See you Doddy.”
Walliams wrote of the Liverpool funnyman: “Comedy flowed through him like water. RIP Sir Ken Dodd.” Abbot said: “An icon, a one-off and a true professor of comedy. One of the greatest. How tickled I am to have known him,” he said.
It also appeared that Sir Ken may have had the last laugh when it came to his tax affairs. The comedy legend died just two days after marrying Anne Jones, his partner of 40 years.
Experts said that, in general, a person’s marital status can make an enormous difference when it comes to inheritance tax bills. Assets can be passed between married couples free of inheritance tax.
Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “In addition to the enormous emotional resonance a wedding carries, there are also tremendous differences between the ways that a partner and a spouse are treated when it comes to inheritance tax.
“Assets can be passed between spouses free of inheritance tax, which can make an enormous difference to the tax due.”
Sir Ken, who was knighted in honour of his decades-long showbiz career and charity work, was acquitted following a five-week trial, accused of tax fraud, in 1989 and would later joke about the case.
Tasnim Khalid, head of wills, trusts and estate planning at JMW Solicitors, said: “Leaving an estate to a legally married spouse rather than a partner or cohabitee has huge tax advantages.
“We had a client who was once exposed to several millions of pounds in inheritance tax, but the simple act of marriage eradicated the tax liability altogether.”
His widow, Lady Anne Dodd, echoed the thoughts of Sir Ken’s millions of fans, describing the star as “a most life-enhancing, brilliant, creative comedian”.
Sir Ken died on Sunday at the home where he was born, in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash.
Speaking outside their home, where floral tributes and tickle sticks were left outside, Lady Anne said she had “lost a most wonderful husband”. She said she had been “overwhelmed by the love and affection”, which she had received after the star’s death was announced.
Lady Anne added: “The world has lost a most life-enhancing, brilliant, creative comedian with an operatically trained voice, who just wanted to make people happy.
“He lived to perfect his art and entertain his live and adoring audiences.”
The Liverpool comedian, famous for his epic stand-up shows, his tickling sticks and Diddy Men, left hospital at the end of February following a six-week stay for a chest infection.
Known for his unruly hair and teeth, he performed his very last show just months ago, in his native city, at the end of December.
But all dates for this year were cancelled when the star became unwell “because when Ken goes on stage he’s up there for about four hours,” his publicist Robert Holmes said. Sir Ken, brandishing a tickling stick and greeted by his Diddy Men, had vowed to carry on with his tattyfilarious comedy when he left hospital last month.
He said: “Once I’ve recovered myself I’ll get back to doing the job, which is the only job I’ve ever had,” he said at the time. “While I was in here, I wrote some new jokes, so it should be all right.”
The prolific comic entered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest joke-telling session ever –1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours – during the 1960s. His TV shows included The Ken Dodd Show, Beyond Our Ken, Ken Dodd’s Laughter Show and An Audience With Ken Dodd and he entered the big time in 1965 with the longest-ever run at the London Palladium – 42 weeks.
Also a well-known singer, in 1964 the star released his first single, Happiness, followed by smash hit Tears in 1965 which was the third best-selling single of the 1960s.
His first fiancee, Anita Boutin, died of a brain tumour in 1977 aged 45.