Ronnie Barker, one of the few people who I feel comfortable describing as a
'comedy legend', died today after a long illness. He was 76. He is reported to
have died peacefully in his sleep after a long battle against heart problems.
His wife Joy was by his side.
Barker is well known for, amongst other things, the TV shows Porridge,
Open All Hours and The Two Ronnies. His comedy partner in that, Ronnie
Corbett, has said "Ronnie Barker was pure gold in triplicate - as a
performer; a writer and a friend. We worked together since 1965 and never had a
cross word. I shall miss him terribly."
Last year Barker received an honourary BAFTA in recognition of the lifetime
of laughs he has given to the rest of us. His comical creations - the stuttering
Arkwright and the cynical Fletcher being the two most famous - will remain as
benchmarks for the up-and-coming UK comedy actor.
A special half hour programme on the comedian will be shown on BBC at 22:35
next Tuesday.
