THE comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died at the age of 65 following a heart attack.
Born in north London, to Irish parents, Slattery became a familiar face on television screens in the 1980s and 90s, where he was known for his quick-wit on Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
A statement issued by his partner Mark Michael Hutchinson today confirmed his death this morning.
Tony Slattery, pictured at home in north London, in 2020 (PIC: Sundog Pictures, Noelle Vaughn)"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," Mr Hutchinson said.
The pair had been together since 1986.
Born Anthony Declan James Slattery, the comedian grew up on a council estate in north-west London, the youngest of five children to Irish Catholic immigrants, Michael and Margaret Slattery.
Actor and comedian Tony Slattery pictured at the height of his fame in 1992He had an older sister named Marlene, and triplet brothers, Christopher, Michael and Stephen.
The young Slattery did exceedingly well at school and breezed into Cambridge University to study modern and medieval languages.
There he joined the Cambridge Footlights theatre group - eventually becoming its President, which nurtured the likes of Monty Python, Stephen Fry and Peter Cook.
Tony Slattery with his partner Mark Hutchinson at their home in 2020 (PIC: Sundog Pictures, Noelle Vaughn)Following his success in the 1990s, Slattery fell away from the limelight for many years.
In 2020 he reappeared on our screens in BBC2’s Horizon documentary What's the Matter with Tony Slattery?
The show revealed that in 1996, at the age of 36, the actor had experienced a breakdown.
After working consistently for 13 years he had ultimately turned to alcohol and drugs to cope.
Following the broadcast of the show, Slattery said he had been “genuinely moved” by the messages of support he received from the public.
“What can I say? I am genuinely moved by the amount of messages, comments and emails that each of you have taken the time to write, and in which you have shown your support, your compassion, your encouragement — and, some of you — your courage in vocalising your own experiences of some of the issues addressed in the documentary,” he said at the time.
"I am simply overwhelmed by the love and kindness you have shown me,” he added.
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