Original ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ Comedian Passes Away

U.K. comedian and star of the inaugural season of the original Whose Line Is It Anyway? Tony Slattery died today at the age of 65, as confirmed by his longtime partner and the BBC.

Slattery was a native of Middlesex, England and the son of working-class Irish-Catholic immigrants, and his career as one of England’s most beloved comedy performers started when, on the invitation of his friend Stephen Fry, he joined the University of Cambridge’s venerated comedy troupe the Cambridge Footlights. Performing alongside other all-time greats such as Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, Slattery’s time in the Footlights led to him breaking through in late-night TV comedy shortly after finishing at Cambridge with his acclaimed performance in the series Saturday Stayback in 1983.

Later, in 1988, Slattery joined the project that would become an international comedy sensation in its first season, quickly becoming the star of the original U.K. series Whose Line Is It Anyway? on which the American show by the same name was based. Following his passing, fans of Slattery and Whose Line is it Anyway? as well as many of Slattery’s contemporaries took to social media to commemorate the late artist's impact:

“It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening,” Slattery’s long-time romantic partner Mark Michael Hutchinson told the BBC of his passing. 

In addition to his work on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Slattery starred in internationally appreciated films such as How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Peter's Friends and The Crying Game, and he is the subject of the 2020 BBC Horizon documentary series What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery? which examined his tumultuous childhood, his struggles with sexual abuse and drug addiction and the efforts he had taken to improve his physical and mental health despite his past trauma.

Today, Slattery is remembered by the many comedy stars whose lives he touched and by the fans who were blessed to be able to see him at his best and worst: