Britain’s best-loved TV legend Bruce Forsyth makes last gag as he dies aged 89 with his wife by his side after a showbiz career spanning seven decades
BRITAIN’S best-loved telly legend Sir Bruce Forsyth died yesterday aged 89, after a showbiz career spanning seven decades and dozens of catchphrases.
The Strictly Come Dancing and Generation Game host — famous for sayings like “Didn’t he do well?” — was suffering from bronchial pneumonia.
Last night Strictly pal Tess Daly, 48, led a flood of tributes to Brucie.
She wrote on Twitter: “There are no words to describe how heartbroken I am.”
Sir Bruce Forsyth cracked jokes about his illness just days before he died, his heartbroken family revealed yesterday.
They told in a statement announcing the star’s death at 89 how he was visited two weeks earlier by a friend, who asked what he had been doing for the past year and a half.
The veteran entertainer, whose ill health meant he had not been seen in public for 21 months, replied with a twinkle in his eye: “I’ve been very, very busy — being ill!”
The family said in their statement, released at 4.37pm yesterday: “Unfortunately, not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.
“The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have sent cards and letters to Bruce wishing him well over his long illness and know that they will share in part the great, great loss they feel.”
Sir Bruce, legendary host of shows including The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and Strictly Come Dancing, died yesterday with his devoted wife Wilnelia and six children at his bedside.
The news sparked an overwhelming outpouring of grief from the showbiz world — with Strictly host Claudia Winkleman describing her predecessor as “the King of TV”.
Brucie, whose career spanned an astonishing seven decades following his first TV appearance as an 11- year-old in 1939, had not been seen in public since hosting Strictly’s Children In Need special in 2015.
Following surgery for two life-threatening aneurysms, he recorded a video message from his Surrey home after missing the show’s Christmas special, which would be his last appearance on British TV.
Holding his three-week-old granddaughter, he said: “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am not to be with you on this Christmas Day.
“Well, actually I can tell you. I’m absolutely gutted.
“I haven’t quite got over my operation, which went very well by the way. But mind you, I was a bit worried when the surgeon stood over me and said, ‘I’ll carve’.
“Anyway, that’s enough of my rehearsed ad-libs.
"Thank you to all our stars and their professional partners for doing this special Christmas show.
"Remember you are all my favourites, and I haven’t said that for a long, long time.
“I’ll be thinking of you. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and keep dancing!”
As the camera panned out to reveal the baby, the entertainer added with his trademark humour: “I’ve been busy babysitting my new three-week-old granddaughter Anastasia Monroe, isn’t she lovely? I hope she’s got my chin.”
Sir Bruce, whose beloved catchphrases included “Nice to see you, to see you nice”, “Give us a twirl” and “Didn’t he do well?” was desperate to return to television, but continued to battle poor health.
His aneurysm surgery followed a fall which saw him rushed to hospital in 2015.
He was left bed-bound and had to cancel a string of public appearances.
While recovering from keyhole surgery, he missed the funeral of close friend Ronnie Corbett in April last year.
Family Statement
IT IS with great sadness that the Forsyth family announce that Sir Bruce passed away this afternoon, peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife Wilnelia and all his children.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend visited him and asked him what he had been doing these last eighteen months.
With a twinkle in his eye, he responded: “I’ve been very, very busy... being ill!” Unfortunately, not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.
Then in February, the former Sunday Night at the London Palladium presenter was taken to hospital with a severe chest infection, spending five days in intensive care.
But Brucie’s wife of 34 years — 59-year-old ex-Miss World Lady Wilnelia — reported in May that he was doing “much better” and had started “walking around now”.
In another interview she revealed that she prayed her husband would be able to perform again.
His manager Ian Wilson had released a statement saying Brucie was “recuperating from various health issues” and had made “no formal or informal decision about retiring from showbusiness”.
Lord Michael Grade, who visited the star just ten days ago, said yesterday that while his body may have been “frail”, his mind remained “sharp as a tack”.
The TV boss said: “He’d been very ill. I went to his house and we spent the whole morning talking and reminiscing.
He was laughing with me and his memory was phenomenal and the twinkle was in his eye, which is how I will always remember him.
“But of course his body was frail and he had difficulty walking and it was sad — but fortunately the brain was sharp as a tack.
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“He was wonderfully amazed at how well he’s done. He couldn’t believe that he had lasted as long.
“He was very proud of the fact that he had been on so many hit shows. My heart goes out to Winnie and all the family. And to the nation who have lost their favourite and greatest ever entertainer.”
Last night the BBC ran special news coverage of Brucie’s death and pulled The One Show off air to broadcast a special hour-long tribute.
Another tribute will be broadcast on BBC1 at 7pm on Monday.
The corporation‘s director general Tony Hall said Brucie, who had a £17million fortune, was “part of all of our lives and we’ll miss him dearly”.
He added: “Sir Bruce was one of the greatest entertainers our country has ever known.
"He has delighted millions of people and defined Saturday night television for decades. His warmth and wit were legendary.”
Strictly Come Dancing bosses last night paid their own tribute to the star, saying the show’s success was in part due to being “fronted by a genuine legend of stage and screen”.
They said in a statement: “His spirit, humour and warmth helped set the tone of Strictly, something which has been carried through every series, every spin-off and every special.
Bruce Forsyth was — and will continue to be — a huge part of Strictly Come Dancing. Bye, Brucie. You’re our favourite.”
Sir Bruce, officially crowned the male TV entertainer with the longest career in the 2013 Guinness Book of World Records, had been open about his own mortality.
He told The Sun that year: “There’s no getting away from it. When I look at all my friends that have gone — Eric Sykes, Frankie Howerd, Sammy Davis Jr — I know I’m on borrowed time.
“How I’m still here I just don’t know. I don’t know how, why or wherefore. But I’m not questioning it that much. The day will come and it could be tomorrow, who knows?
“It’s no good saying it’s never going to come. You’ve got to be able to accept it, so I’m conditioning myself so it’s not going to be a big surprise. It will just be, ‘OK, time to go’.
“When the time is up I’ll be ready for it. I probably won’t be very happy about it, but I’ll know it’s time to go.”