British comedian Tony Slattery has died at the aged of 65. He was best known for his appearances on the original UK version of Whose Line is it Anyway in the 1980s and 1990s.
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.”
Slattery was a regular feature on TV screens and also appeared in films including The Crying Game, Carry on Columbus and Peter’s Friends. He also appeared on stage in the West End performing in the musical Me and My Girl and in a revival of The Rocky Horror Show.
A university contemporary of Hugh Laurie, Sir Stephen Fry and Dame Emma Thompson, he weas admired for his wit and comic timing.
Then in the mid 1990’s he just disappeared from public life.
In 2022 he shared his story in a documentary where he recounted how his rise to fame had seen him struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol, then in 1996 he had a mental breakdown.
He spoke about how being a victim of a priest’s sexual abuse as a young boy had affected him, and how he’d struggled with being bipolar. He also publicly shared that he’d been in a relationship with Hutchinson since 1986.
While friends had gone on to have Hollywood careers, Slattery and Hutchinson were living in a small, rented house in North London.
The response to the documentary What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery? was enormously positive, it was nominated for awards and Slattery was praised for sharing his story.
In social media comedian Jonathan Pie summed Slattery up as a “genius”, saying in heartbreaking to hear of the news of his passing. While actor James Dreyfus remembered the comedian as someone who always made him laugh.
Tributes also came from Doctor Who actor Sylvester McCoy. In 1994 Slattery was considered to take over of the role of The Doctor from McCoy, but producers opted to cast Paul McGann in the role.
