Famed Australian comic Barry Humphries dies at 89

Humphries handed away peacefully surrounded by his household.

“He was fully himself till the very finish, by no means shedding his sensible thoughts, his distinctive wit and generosity of spirit,” his relations mentioned in a assertion to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“With over seventy years on the stage, he was an entertainer to his core, touring up till the final yr of his life and planning extra exhibits that can sadly by no means be. His audiences have been treasured to him, and he by no means took them with no consideration.”

His Dame Edna persona propelled Humphries to the height of British tv within the Seventies, finally securing his personal Dame Edna Everage Expertise speak present within the Nineteen Eighties.

He additionally grew to become well-known for his Sir Les Patterson character, a staple for 3 a long time throughout Humphries’ stage efficiency.

Although many audiences know him greatest from TV, Humphries was additionally a outstanding theater actor and a proponent of the humanities in all varieties.

“Though he could also be greatest remembered for his work in theater, he was a painter, creator, poet, and a collector and lover of Artwork in all its varieties,” his household mentioned. “He was additionally a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and a buddy and confidant to many.”

Condolences poured in as information of his dying broke.

“RIP Barry Humphries — one of many biggest ever Australians — and a comic book genius who used his exuberant alter egos, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, to say the in any other case unsayable,” former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter. “Additionally an infallibly sensible Spectator contributor. What a loss.”

“For 89 years, Barry Humphries entertained us by way of a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on Twitter.

“However the brightest star in that galaxy was at all times Barry. An excellent wit, satirist, author and an absolute one-of-kind, he was each gifted and a present. Could he relaxation in peace.”