Tributes as Buzzcocks star Sean Hughes dies aged 51
TRIBUTES were paid to Never Mind The Buzzcocks star Sean Hughes yesterday after he died at just 51.
The popular Irish comedian, actor and writer had tweeted to his 50,000 followers a week ago that he was “in hospital”. It was his last post.
His death from cirrhosis of the liver at north London’s Whittington hospital stunned showbusiness.
He had been teetotal for years after admitting he had “matured later in life” and had earlier been “blocking things out with drink”.
Following the death of his father from leukaemia in 2010, he said: “You realise that when you’re dealing with a death you can’t block it out.”
In 1990, he was the youngest winner of the Perrier award for his Edinburgh Fringe show A One Night Stand With Sean Hughes.
He starred in his sitcom Sean’s Show in the 1990s and went on to become a regular on BBC 2 pop music quiz Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
Tributes from fellow comedians were led by Al Murray and Jack Dee.
Murray called the death “very sad news” while Dee added: “Very sad to hear about Sean Hughes. Started on the circuit with him back in the day.”
Ross Noble said: “Just awful news about Sean. He was very nice to me when starting out in comedy.”
Jason Manford called Hughes a “brilliant” stand-up comedian, adding he was “a lovely bloke”. IT’S dinner time again for this group of badgers – who have been heading to the same back garden for a meal every night for the past eight years.
Paul Russell leaves scraps outside his home in Hullbridge, Essex, for his six nightly guests.