Fringe stalwart comedian Tony Slattery dies aged 65
The comedian regularly appeared at the Fringe
Comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 following a heart attack, his partner said.
A regular figure in Edinburgh at the Fringe, he won the first Fringe Perrier Award in 1981, along with the Cambridge Footlights, who also featured Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.
He broke into TV on the Chris Tarrant show Saturday Stayback before finding fame on the improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? along with co-stars Mike McShane, Paul Merton, Ryan Stiles and John Sessions and also appeared on comedy shows Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.
Mr Slattery has given a number of interviews discussing his struggles with bipolar disorder and substance addiction and revealed his battles against depression in an extended interview in The Scotsman in 2018.
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 2019, Mr Slattery launched a crowdfunder to pay for his Fringe show, saying he was “completely broke”.
Born 9 November, 1959, Slattery 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, and had recently been touring a comedy show in England and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October.
Outside of stand-up, Slattery appeared in 1980s and 1990s films including crime thriller The Crying Game, Peter’s Friends with Laurie, Sir Stephen and Dame Emma, and black comedy How To Get Ahead In Advertising with Richard E Grant.
He also had prominent roles in the theatre, which including receiving a 1995 Olivier Award nod for best comedy performance for the Tim Firth play Neville’s Island, which was later made into a film starring Timothy Spall, and starring in Second World War-set production Privates On Parade, based on the film of the same name, as ace impersonator Captain Terri Dennis.
His West End debut was in the 1930s-style musical Radio Times, and on TV he also played a detective in Tiger Bastable, a gentlemen comedy spoof, and the title character in sitcom Just A Gigolo.
In 2020, Mr Slattery – who regularly spoke openly about his bipolar disorder – revealed he went bankrupt following a battle with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Mr Slattery is survived by his partner of more than three decades, the actor Mr Hutchinson.
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