Lennie Bennett dies
Comic turned game show host was 70
Eighties comedian Lennie Bennett has died at the age of 70.He died in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on Wednesday night after short illness, the Blackpool Gazette has reported.
Bennett previous had problems with his heart, and in 1994 suffered a cardiac arrest, which required a bypass operation.
He was a journalist on the West Lancashire Evening Gazette before becoming a professional entertainer, getting his break on The Good Old Days music hall show in 1966.
He starred in his own TV double-act show with Jerry Stevens, which ran on the BBC from 1978 to 1980, before moving into hosting game shows Punchlines and Lucky Ladders in the Eighties.
He went on to become a regular on the after-dinner circuit, but was last seen on TV five years ago in a ‘where are they now?’ show which revealed he was running a burger joint on Blackpool prom called Fat B’stards.
Frank Carson has led the tributes, telling the Blackpool Gazette: ‘Lennie was an absolutely wonderful fellow and we had lots of laughs together. He was a very funny comedian and a very good performer.’
Published: 9 Apr 2009
