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John Fortune, satirical comedian, dies aged 74 | John Fortune, satirical comedian, dies aged 74 |
(35 minutes later) | |
John Fortune, the British comedian and satirist who found fame through his TV collaborations with John Bird and Rory Bremner, has died aged 74. | John Fortune, the British comedian and satirist who found fame through his TV collaborations with John Bird and Rory Bremner, has died aged 74. |
His agent Vivienne Clore said he died peacefully on Tuesday with his wife Emma and dog Grizelle at his bedside. | His agent Vivienne Clore said he died peacefully on Tuesday with his wife Emma and dog Grizelle at his bedside. |
Born in 1939, he was educated in Bristol before going on to Cambridge where he met fellow satirist Bird. | Born in 1939, he was educated in Bristol before going on to Cambridge where he met fellow satirist Bird. |
A founding member of Peter Cook's Establishment Club, he shared a Bafta with Bird in 1997. | A founding member of Peter Cook's Establishment Club, he shared a Bafta with Bird in 1997. |
The award, for Best Light Entertainment Performance, came for their work on Channel 4's Rory Bremner, Who Else? programme. | |
The trio went on to work together on Bremner, Bird and Fortune, which ran from 1999 to 2008. | |
"I'm so sorry to let you know that my friend John Fortune died this morning," Bremner tweeted, remembering him as a "lovely man, dear friend" and a "brilliant & fearless satirist". | |
ITV newsreader Alastair Stewart also paid tribute, saying Fortune, Bird and Bremner had created "some of the cleverist [sic], funniest stuff ever". | |
Only Fools and Horses star John Challis, who acted alongside Fortune in 1980s C.A.T.S. Eyes, said he was "so sad" to hear of his death. | |
"I played henchman to his chief villain... and we laughed a lot," the actor recalled. "Another goodun gone." | |
A former member of the Cambridge Footlights, Fortune was known for his prodigious height and his knack for mimicking old-school establishment types. | |
He also had small roles in a number of films, among them Calendar Girls, The Tailor of Panama and Woody Allen's Match Point. | |
Fortune is survived by his wife and three children. |