Comedian and Dame Edna star Barry Humphries dies aged 89

Published

2 years ago

April 22, 2023

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Barry Humphries, who played Dame Edna Everage, has died at the age of 89.

The veteran Australian comedian had been readmitted to hospital after suffering complications following hip surgery last month.

The entertainer played the lilac-haired drag persona on stage and TV for more than 60 years.

Arguably Australia’s single most famous comedy export, the self-described giga-star was known for her extravagant spectacles, rapier wit, double entendres, fondness for gladioli flowers and the famous greeting “Hello possums!”.

Humphries also played Sir Les Patterson, an unkempt, lecherous, uncouth, drunken character who held multiple fictional diplomatic positions, including cultural attaché to the Far East and minister for the yartz (arts).

Other creations included Sandy Stone

A statement from Humphries’ family said: “He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit.

“With over 70 years on the stage, he was an entertainer to his core, touring up until the last year of his life and planning more shows that will sadly never be.

“His audiences were precious to him, and he never took them for granted.

“Although he may be best remembered for his work in theatre, he was a painter, author, poet, and a collector and lover of art in all its forms.

“He was also a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and a friend and confidant to many.

“His passing leaves a void in so many lives.

“The characters he created, which brought laughter to millions, will live on.”

Paying tribute, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said: “For 89 years, Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone.

“But the brightest star in that galaxy was always Barry.

“A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift. May he rest in peace.”

Humphries became a staple of the British comedy circuit after moving from Australia to London in 1959 and appearing in West End shows such as Maggie May and Oliver.

He was among the leading members of the British comedy scene, alongside Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Spike Milligan.

Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil recalled the “funny, hugely literate, fiercely smart” Humphries, tweeting: “So sad to learn Barry Humphries has passed away.

“When I visited him in his Sydney Hospital two weeks ago he was ailing from several health problems. But his spirits and wit were as acute as ever.

“We laughed away as the stories poured out.”

He added: “I count myself lucky and privileged I got to see him one more time. A comic genius the likes of which we will never see again.”

Comedian Ricky Gervais tweeted: “Farewell, Barry Humphries, you Comedy genius.”

Impressionist Rory Bremner wrote on social media: “Heavens. With the passing of #barryhumphries we lose an all-time great.

“Lightning quick, subversive, mischievous, widely read, deeply knowledgeable about art, music & literature- & savagely funny.

“Dame Edna arguably the greatest comic persona ever. Les Patterson too. True genius.”

Australian actor Jason Donovan tweeted: “Australia has lost one of its greatest.

“Funny, literate and fiercely intelligent, Barry Humphries was quite simply an entertaining genius.

“The characters he created brought laughter to millions… My thoughts are with family on this sad day.”

Fellow comedian Matt Lucas, who posted a picture of the pair together on Twitter, described the star as “quite simply the greatest”.

Married four times, Humphries is survived by his wife Lizzie Spender and four children.

Entertainment

Dolly Parton says ‘I ain’t dead yet’ after health fears triggered by singer’s sister

Published

22 hours ago

October 9, 2025

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Dolly Parton says 'I ain’t dead yet' after health fears triggered by singer's sister

Dolly Parton has declared she “ain’t dead yet” after her sister raised concerns about the singer’s health by asking people to pray for her.

“There are just a lot of rumours flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” the 79-year-old singer said in a new two-minute video posted on social media.

“I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working,” she added.

In the footage, captioned “I ain’t dead yet!”, the 9 to 5 singer is seen on a set speaking directly to the camera.

On Tuesday, a Facebook post shared by her sister Freida Parton escalated concerns around Parton’s health when she wrote that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly”.

Hours later, Freida Parton followed up with a clarification. “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer.”

Last month, Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years, citing “health challenges”.

She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in December. The dates have been moved to next September

Parton offered her own clarification about her health condition in Wednesday’s video.

“Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you who seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” she continued.

“And I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything.”

She also referenced her late husband of nearly 60 years Carl Dean who died earlier this year at the age of 82.

“I want you to know that I’m OK. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned. Back when my husband Carl was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of,” she said.

“So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said: ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”

And in true Parton fashion, she ended with a joke: “I wanted you to know that I’m not dying”.

Entertainment

Dolly Parton is ‘going to be just fine’, country singer’s sister says

Published

2 days ago

October 8, 2025

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Dolly Parton is 'going to be just fine', country singer's sister says

Dolly Parton’s sister has said that the country singer is “going to be just fine” after worrying fans by asking for prayers.

Freida Parton had asked people for prayers for the Jolene and I Will Always Love You singer on Tuesday.

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Ms Parton wrote in a Facebook post.

“I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been [led] to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.

“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

After shocked fans took to social media expressing worry about Parton’s health, her sister said in a second post on Wednesday: “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”

It comes after Parton announced in September that she had to postpone her upcoming Las Vegas residency over “health challenges”.

“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” the singer said at the time.

“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

Parton said she was postponing the shows because she is “not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you”.

The country star was set to perform six shows at Caesars Palace in December, but her performance dates have been moved to September 2026.

“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” Parton said as she announced the postponement of her shows. “But I believe he is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”

Entertainment

Robin Williams’s daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2025

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Robin Williams's daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

The daughter of late actor Robin Williams has begged people to stop sending her AI-generated “slop” of her father.

“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” actor and director Zelda Williams wrote on Instagram on Monday.

“To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening.”

She described the videos as “disgusting, over-processed hotdogs” made from the lives of human beings.

“You’re […] shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross,” she wrote.

It’s not the first time Williams has written about the impact of people sending her content about her father on social media.

In 2020, on the anniversary of her father’s death, Williams posted on Instagram saying:

“While I am constantly touched by all of your boundless continued love for him, some days it can feel a bit like being seen as a roadside memorial – a place, not a person – where people drive past and leave their sentiments to then go about their days comforted their love for him was witnessed.”

“But sometimes, that leaves me emotionally buried under a pile of others’ memories instead of my own.”

The death of Robin Williams in 2014, an actor and comedian known for his quick wit and wisdom, triggered a global outpouring of grief and tributes to the star still frequently surface on social media to this day.

In 2023, Zelda appealed for the end of AI-generated content, saying in a widely-reported post on Instagram:

“I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real.”⁠
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“I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings.”