SPIKE MILLIGANSpike Milligan, perhaps one of the most influential British comics of all time, died on 27 February 2002 aged 83.He changed the face of British comedy with his highly original comic insight and unique style. Comedian Eddie Izzard has called him “the grandfather of alternative comedy”.Mr Milligan was also a gifted writer, poet and musician, playing the guitar, trumpet, piano and saxophone.But he will be best remembered as the creator, writer and performer of the enduringly popular series The Goon Show. Its surreal storylines, absurd logic, witty puns and catchphrases revolutionised the world of comedy and attracted a massive cult fan-base.Terence Alan Milligan was born in India on 16th April 1918. He lived in England all his life, but was refused British citizenship because his father was Irish. He never forgave the British government and remained fiercely proud of his Irish heritage.He served as a signaller in the Second World War and started his comic career performing skits to entertain the troops. He wrote surreal stories and puns to fight the boredom of the barracks.He was hospitalised for shellshock and never returned to the action, instead becoming a full-time entertainer. He played guitar and performed with the Bill Hall Trio, combining jazz music and comedy.He was the main writer and star performer on The Goon Show between 1951 and 1960. In 1959, Mr Milligan announced the ninth series would be the last, but a petitionby listeners persuadedhim and the castto do one more.He was also famous for his nonsense verse for children. He wrote a novel Puckoon (1963) and seven volumes of memoirs from 1939 to 1950.He was an active campaigner for issues ranging from the environment to domestic violence. In 1971, he attacked an art exhibit with a hammer, as it involved the electrocution of live sea-life.Mr Milligan married three times and had four children. He was made a CBE in 1992 and a KBE in 2000, although both awards were honourary due to his Irish citizenship.He died on February 27 2002.Keeping his black humour until the end he had asked for hisgravestone toread: ‘I told you I was ill’.During a career spanning six decades, he published nearly40 books, wrote or performed in 16 films and produced five long-running radio comedy shows. In 1999, a BBC poll voted him The Funniest Person of the Last 1000 Years.But the comic genius battled with bipolar disease most of his life, suffering at least ten major mental breakdowns. He spoke openly about his illness and explored his experiences through poetry, compiled in the book Open Heart University.His unique style revolutionised the world of comedy and his legacy can be seen in the generations of comedians who owe their careers to Mr Milligan’s groundbreaking work.Comedian Ben Elton paid tribute to his hero with the recognition that: “Everyone knows that, in comedy, very little is truly original. Spike's work is part of that very little."
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