ERIC MORECAMBE- one of the world’s best loved comedians - died on 28 May, 1984.
As one half of the phenomenally successful comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, he entertained us for more than 20 years and will always be fondly remembered.
Together, Morecambe and Wise were the first truly great comedy duo in the UK. To their audiences they felt like much-loved friends - not just entertainers.
Born John Eric Bartholomew on 14 May, 1926, in Morecambe, Lancashire, he spent much of his early life having dance lessons which his mother funded through her job as a waitress. He did not enjoy them, but they were to serve him well in later life.
In 1940, he left school at the age of 14. He began entering talent contests, most notably in Hoylake, Merseyside, where he met a young Ernest Wiseman. The two of them became close friends, although it would not be until a revue in 1941 that they formed their much-loved double act.
With the advent of National Service during World War Two, the duo went their separate ways – Mr Wiseman to the Navy and Mr Morecambe to a coal mine in Accrington (although he was later excused due to a heart defect).
After the war, Morecambe and Wise, as they were to become known, finally began to make a name for themselves as a double act. They appeared on stage and screen to varying degrees of success and, by 1961, were stars with the show ‘Two of a Kind.’
The series lampooned plucky guest celebrities such as The Beatles and introduced popular catchphrases which would stay with them throughout their careers.
It was in 1968 that The Morecambe and Wise Show launched, a series which would span more than 15 years. It was in this same year that Mr Morecambe suffered his first major heart attack at the age of 42, while driving home from Leeds.
After two weeks in hospital, during which time Des O’Connor asked his audience to pray for his recovery, he was discharged but gave up his 50-a-day smoking habit.
Despite health problems, he continued to work hard. In 1968, the duo first introduced a Christmas show which went on to become a festive TV highlight. They were awarded OBEs in 1976.
In 1979, Mr Morecambe had a second heart attack. A heart bypass operation followed.
Five years later, he collapsed from a third and final heart attack, shortly after leaving the stage. He died a few hours later, in Cheltenham General Hospital, aged 58.
The nation was left reeling by the death of one of its most popular comics. His partner Ernie Wise reflected later, “I have been robbed of a partner and a brother - there is a cold draught down one side of me where Eric should be.”
Today, in his home town of Morecambe, there is a large statue of him on the seafront. It was unveiled by the Queen in 1999 and attracts numerous visitors wishing to pay their respects.
Mr Morecambe was a keen bird-watcher and an enthusiastic director of Luton Town Football Club, where a suite has been named after him.
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