LONDON (AP) — British children’s entertainer Barry Chuckle, half of sibling duo the Chuckle Brothers, has died at age 73.
Manager Phil Dale said Sunday that Chuckle, whose real name was Barry Elliott, died at home after an illness, “surrounded by his wife, Ann, and all his family.” No other details were disclosed.
Barry and his younger brother Paul came from a family of entertainers in northern England — their father performed alongside a young Peter Sellers — and developed a double act that combined visual gags, catchphrases and the brothers’ natural warmth.
They became icons to British children with their TV show “ChuckleVision,” which ran on the BBC between 1987 and 2009. The brothers typically undertook a new task in each episode, producing slapstick results.
The duo were awarded a special British Academy award in 2008 for their contribution to children’s television.
They recently filmed a new show, “Chuckle Time,” for Britain’s Channel 5.
Paul Chuckle said he had “not just lost my brother, I’ve lost my theatrical partner of many, many years and my very best friend.”
Comedian and author David Walliams tweeted that the brothers were “really special performers” and “the last link to the British Musical Hall tradition that gave us Stan Laurel & Charlie Chaplin.”
