Heartbreaking last clip shows BBC comedian Tony Slattery thanking fans on Christmas Day just weeks before he died
TONY Slattery’s heartbreaking final post was shared on Christmas Day shortly before his sudden death aged 65.
The comedian passed away this morning following a heart attack on Sunday evening, his partner sadly announced.
Tony appeared on the Channel 4 comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and comedy shows Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.
A statement on behalf of his partner Mark Michael Hutchinson said: “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.”
In his last social media post, Tony shared a heartwarming video with his fans on Instagram while wearing a festive red and green tinsel scarf.
He said: “Hello everyone who is watching this, Tony Slattery here.
“President of the Rambling Club. We have had a wonderful year and it’s thanks to you, the listeners and also the Patreon people who keep us going.
“We are growing exponentially and we love doing it. This is just to say thank you and Merry Christmas.
“Oh and the guests we’ve had on. We’ve had on Hacker the dog, which was hilarious, Julian Carey from who I have borrowed this [referring to his tinsel].
“He is in panto but spared it for me. We have got lots of really interesting guests lined up but we will keep that secret for now.”
He added: “Quality guests, that’s what we offer. We offer existential conversations and good humour. This is just to say to you all a big thank you, we love the fact that you are listening to us and we are helping to bring peace and love to the world.
“And humour, god knows we need it more than ever. Have a very Merry Christmas and a really healthy, happy new year.”
Tony started his podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October 2024.
The comedian had also been successfully touring a stand up show in England.
He leaves behind his partner of more than three decades, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, and their cat Molly.
The couple met while performing in Me and My Girl in the mid-80s.
Born November 9, 1959, Tony was the contemporary of Dame Emma Thompson, Sir Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie at the University of Cambridge.
He was the former president of the improvisation group Cambridge Footlights.
Tony was a regular on British television in the 1980s and 90s, most notably for his role on the Channel 4 show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
His first big-break on television was as a regular on Chris Tarrant’s show, Saturday Stayback in 1983.
At the end of the 1980s, he became a film critic, presenting his own show, Saturday Night At The Movies.
Due to illness and some personal issues, he took a hiatus from television work from the mid-nineties to the early-noughties.
Tony suffered what he described as a, “midlife crisis” – triggered by drug abuse and excessive drinking.
He revealed that he didn’t remember how much he spent on drugs, but “would not be surprised,” if the media’s reports that he spent £4,000 per week on drugs were accurate.
After he was persuaded to go to the hospital he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
This period of his life, was documented in a discussion he had with Fry, called The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive.
He also spoke on his life, trials and tribulations in BBC Two documentary broadcast in 2020 called What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery?
In 2019, Tony revealed that he had been abused by a priest at the age of eight, but had never told his parents.
He believes the event contributed to his unstable character later in life.