SYDNEY, AUS (CelebrityAccess) – Australian entertainer and comedian Barry Humphries, best known for his alter ego Dame Edna died Saturday (April 23) at St. Vincent’s Hospital due to complications from hip surgery. He was 89. His family announced the news of his death in a statement.
“He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit. With over 70 years on the stage, he was an entertainer to his core, touring up until the last year of his life and planning more shows that will sadly never be.”
Humphries was readmitted to the hospital on Wednesday for complications following hip surgery in March due to suffering a fall in February.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute in a tweet, calling him “a great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-a-kind.”
“He is one of the most loved Australians, and I pay tribute to him today – to his enormous contribution to Australia,” Albanese said at a press conference.
Born in Melbourne in 1934, Humphries created the character of housewife Dame Edna Everage in 1955 as a satire. The character became a massive hit in the 1970s when Humphries brought the act to London’s West End and appeared in various productions, TV shows and chat shows.
Before creating Dame Edna, Humphries appeared in numerous West End productions, including Maggie Way and Oliver.
Dame Edna hosted her variety talk show on the ITV (Britan) network, making the greeting, “Hello, Possums!” known within many households as she descended a grand staircase, only to sit down and interview well-known celebrities.
The Dame Edna Experience ran from 1987 – 1989 and hosted names including Jane Fonda, Ronald Reagan, Lauren Bacall, Liza Minnelli, and more. Her co-host was played by actress Emily Perry – Madge Allsop, a bridesmaid of Dame Edna who never spoke.
Humphries’ character also starred in several TV specials, including Dame Edna’s Hollywood, Dame Edna’s Work Experience, Edna Time and 2007’s The Dame Edna Treatment, which was set in a health spa frequented by guests including Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, and Boris Johnson.
Humphries, whose illustrious career spans over 60 years, has been awarded several honors. In 1982, Humphries was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (OA) for services to theatre, and in 2007 the Queen made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to the arts.
In 2000, Humphries won a Special Tony Award for his Broadway show Dame Edna, The Royal Tour. He also appeared as Edna in the US drama Ally McBeal in 2001.
An actor, director, and scriptwriter, he also authored several books, novels, autobiographies and plays – even touring the UK in 2022, then aged 88, recounting his life stories and inspirations in a set called “The Man Behind the Mask.”
CelebrityAccess Senior Editor Larry LeBlanc said:
“I am gutted by the death of Barry Humphries – best known for his Dame Edna character. Her exchanges with the royal family, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton, Roger Moore and others were hysterical.
“I just watched an exchange between Edna, Prince Charles, and Camilla when Edna sat in the Royal Box at the theatre with them. An aide then comes and informs Edna she’s in the wrong place. She turns to the royals and says, ‘They found me a better seat.’
“I used to watch Barry on The Michael Parkinson Show in the 80s. My favorite character was labor leader Lance Boyle who incited a massive airline walkout to keep his wife in Singapore so he could have a dirty weekend away with his secretary. I have a book of Barry’s sketches that I treasure. I also loved Humphries’s character, Sir Less Patterson, the inebriated diplomat. For now, I’ll cry a bit to the shout-out ‘Hello Possums!'”
Humphries is survived by his wife, Lizzie Spender and four children.
