News: Tributes Paid To Des O'Connor
Tributes have been paid to Des O'Connor, who death at 88 has been announced.
His agent said he died on Saturday after a fall at his home. O’Connor was best known for hosting many television shows over the years ranging from Take Your Pick and Countdown to his own primetime chat show, where he gave a lot of comedians early mainstream breaks, often basically played straight man, teeing up their routines and then falling around laughing.
To many though, he was most famous for being mocked by Morecambe and Wise on their shows.
Producer/presenter Simon London tweeted: "I worked on two series of the Des O’Connor show as an Assistant Producer. We absolutely loved him. Kind, generous, funny - a real gent. Thoughts go to his family."
Piers Morgan tweeted: "RIP Des O’Connor, 88. A wondrously talented, warm, funny, charming man. Truly one of the nicest people in showbiz. What very sad news. Thanks for all the fun, Des."
Mark Dolan tweeted: "Very sad news about Des O’Connor. A huge loss to the world of showbiz. For decades, this ridiculously charismatic man sang, acted, told jokes, danced & was a master of the chat show genre. A titan of broadcasting & entertainment. RIP Des
@DesOConnorCBE"
In a lengthy two-part tweet Carol Vorderrman wrote: "RIP Des O'Connor. So sad this morning to hear that darling Des has passed away. He was the host of Countdown for a couple of years and was a joy to work with. Lively, funny, he ALWAYS wanted to entertain people. I will remember him most tho for his brilliant chat shows. in the days when families would gather round the telly to watch , Des O'Connor was the King. We'd cry laughing when Freddie Starr would pretend to be behaving and things would go badly wrong. Des will surely be entertaining the angels now. Rest In Peace & Laughter my friend."
In 2002 his autobiograhy, Bananas Can't Fly was published. Buy here.
Watch a classic Des O'Connor clip with Stan Boardman below.
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