Heart attack in his sleep

Mel Smith has died at the age of 60.

The comic, who shot to fame on Not The Nine O’Clock News and the sketch show Alas Smith & Jones, alongside Griff Rhys Jones, reportedly suffered a heart attack in his sleep.

The comic had suffered several health problems. In 1999, he was hospitalised after taking 50 Nurofen Plus tablets;, having become addicted to them after taking them to treat his gout. And in 2008, he appeared on Celebrity Mastermind whilst suffering from severe inflamation of the throat, sparking more fears for his well-being.

Among those paying tribute were Stephen Fry, who tweeted: ‘Terrible news about my old friend Mel Smith, dead today from a heart attack. Mel lived a full life, but was kind, funny & wonderful to know.’

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan added: ‘Very sad to hear news of Mel Smith's death has been confirmed. He and Griff gave Arthur [Mathews] and I our break. Was always so kind & generous to us’

Peter Serafinowicz echoed that sentiment, saying: ‘Very sad to hear about Mel Smith. He did something very kind for me early in my career even though he hardly knew me. Such a funny man.’

Smith was born in Chiswick, West London, in 1952 and educated at Oxford, where he became involved in theatre production, and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. One year they shared a venue with the Cambridge Footlights, directed by John Lloyd – who later created the Not The Nine O’Clock News. Lloyd rang Smith to ask if he wanted to do it, and Smith agreed for £100 an episode. As well as his sketch work, in 1989, he played the title role in the sitcom Colin's Sandwich, a British Rail employee with aspirations to be a writer.

He was also a co-founder with Jones of TalkBack Productions, which produced such hits as Smack the Pony, Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train. They found it in 1981, and sold it in 2000 for £62 million.

Smith was also known as a director. His credits include The Tall Guy, starring Emma Thomson, Jeff Goldblum and Rowan Atkinson, and the Bean movie.

In the theatre he then directed a West End revival of Charley's Aunt starring Stephen Tompkinson, and in 2007 he played the role of Wilbur Turnblad in the London production of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre

Published: 20 Jul 2013