CelebritiesAustralian comedian Barry Humphries, who became famous worldwide thanks to his alter ego Dame Edna, died on Saturday at the age of 89. This is reported by various media, including ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’. Dame Edna was famous for her satire, lilac hair and extravagant glasses. She also had a number of talk shows of her own.
LOOK. Who was Barry Humphries?
On Wednesday it was already known that the comedian was admitted to the hospital. Australian media reported that Humphries was suffering from complications following hip surgery. That operation was necessary after a fall in February. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the actor died in hospital in Sydney on Saturday. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken to social media to express his appreciation for the “absolutely unique” comedian and his “range of characters”. “But the brightest star was always Barry himself,” said Albanese. “May he rest in peace.”
“Barry remained himself to the end and never lost his brilliant mind, unique wit and generous spirit,” the family said in a statement. “He was on stage for over 70 years, he was an entertainer to the bone, touring until last year and even planning new shows that unfortunately will never be. The characters he created, who made millions of people laugh, live on.”
Humphries created Edna Everage in 1955 and took the character by storm all over the world. In 1974, Edna awarded herself the title ‘Dame’. Leaders from all walks of life were happy to be guests on her talk shows, where she greeted the audience with the words ‘Hello possums’. The British Queen Elizabeth II also admired Dame Edna. In 2007, she named the comedian a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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In addition, Humphries did a lot of voice work for animated films. He played the vegetarian shark Bruce in the Pixar classic ‘Finding Nemo’ from 2003. In the same year, Dame Edna received an honorary doctorate from the University of Melbourne. Humphries studied law there in the 1950s, but dropped out to pursue a career as an entertainer.
Humphries died surrounded by his immediate family, including his wife Lizzie Spender, whom he married in 1990, his children Tessa, Emily, Oscar and Rupert, and his ten grandchildren. The man was married a total of four times.
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