Barry Humphries, Comedian Behind Dame Edna Everage, Dead At 89
etcanada.comAustralian comedian Barry Humphries, best known for his beloved drag character Dame Edna Everage, has died at age 89. BBC News reports that Humphries died in a Sydney hospital, where he’d been suffering from complications from hip surgery he underwent in March after suffering a fall.
A statement from Humphries’ family remembers him as “completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit.” READ MORE: Michael Lerner, Oscar-Nominated ‘Barton Fink’ Actor, Dead At 81 His fans, the statement added, were “precious to him,” and that his beloved characters, “which brought laughter to millions, will live on.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a statement upon news of Humphries’ death. “A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift,” said Albanese.
A leading figure in the British comedy scene of the 1960s, Humphries’ other popular characters included drunken Australian politician Sir Les Patterson, yet Dame Edna loomed large in his career.
In fact, the persona ultimately took on a life of its own, particularly in the hilarious talk show “The Dame Edna Experience”, which ran from 1987 until 1989. READ MORE: Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten’s Wife Of Nearly Five Decades Dead At 80 After Alzheimer’s Battle Humphries first introduced the character in 1955, and Dame Edna remained his most popular creation as he continued to bring her to life over the course of six decades, most recently in the 2019 TV special “Dame Edna Rules the Waves”.
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