Spike Milligan dies

Aged 83

Spike Milligan has died of liver failure at his East Sussex home at the age of 83.

The comedian had been ill for many years, nursed by his third wife Sheila. He died with his family at his side, according to his agent Norma Farnes.

She said: "For 35 years he has been the dynamo in my life and he was my dearest friend and I will miss him terribly."

He was the last remaining Goon and was last year given an honorary knighthood for his services to entertainment.

A spokesman for Prince Charles, a long-standing fan of the Goon Show, said the prince was "deeply saddened" by the news.

Milligan hit the headlines after the 1994 British Comedy Awards, at which he was given a lifetime's achievement award, by calling Charles "a grovelling little bastard".

Jenny Abramsky, director of BBC Radio, said: "He was a genius, one of the critical people who put radio comedy on the map. He was unmatched anywhere."

And the BBC's head of comedy, Jon Plowman, said: "It is very sad. He was one of the true greats whose influence can be seen in a huge amount of comedy that we do today."

But Milligan would not have appreciated these tributes. He was obsessed with the BBC, and why they would not commission his shows.

Whenever the corporation's name was mentioned, Milligan would always shout out: "Bastards!"

For a programme due to be screened on Channel 4 at the weekend, comedians paid tribute to Milligan.

John Cleese said: "It's hard for people now to remember just how stuffy and correct and deferential English society was in the Fifties.

"But with The Goon Show there was the first flicker of rebelliousness that turned into the satire movement. He nudged us forward to be even crazier than we were intending to be."

Only yesterday, Milligan was awarded the Outstanding Achievement accolade in Chortle's awards ceremony, demonstrating how his influence is still felt on the comedy circuit today.

BBC1 is to screen a tribute to Milligan at 10.35pm tonight

Stars pay tribute