The comedy world is paying heartfelt tributes to one of its own, after the death of British funny man Sean Lock.
Lock, who was known for his dry wit and deadpan comedy, led a team on British TV comedy 8 Out of 10 Cats.
He was also a regular on British and Australian TV in such shows as Big Fat Quiz, QI and Have I Got News For You, as well as performing stand-up comedy.
Lock, who was 58, died of cancer. His agent, Off The Kerb Productions, confirmed the news on Wednesday (British time).
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock. He died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family.
“Sean was one of Britain’s finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work, marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.
“Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children.”
Lock’s deadpan humour shone in one famous 8 Out of 10 Cats clip, when he was asked what he would like his obituary to say.
“Noooooooooooo, whhhhhhhhhhhhhy,” he responded.
“You can’t write tears, Jimmy.”
Tributes have poured in for Lock, including from Australian comedian and host of The Last Leg, Adam Hills.
“A brilliant comedian and a lovely man. RIP Sean Lock,” he wrote on Twitter.
Lock’s co-stars also shared messages.
“Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him. I’m watching clips of him right now – laughing & crying. I’ll miss him so much,” wrote 8 Out of 10 Cats host Jimmy Carr.
Comedian Lee Mack, who was a close friend, said: “I’ve known this day was coming for some time, but it’s no less heartbreaking. A true original both in comedy and life. I will miss him so much.”
Other British personalities took to social media to pay tribute to Lock, including Ricky Gervais.
Bill Bailey – who had been friends with Lock for 30 years – said he was a “brilliant comic”.
“He was a wonderful man – a very kind, generous friend and I miss him greatly,” he said.
Born in Woking, Surrey, Lock left school in the early 1980s and began working on building sites but developed skin cancer, which he blamed on overexposure to the sun. He made a full recovery and focused on a career in comedy.
One of his first professional TV appearances was in 1993, starring alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel on their signature TV show Newman And Baddiel in Pieces.
He script-edited the 1998 BBC Two series, Is It Bill Bailey? and had his own show on BBC Radio 4 called 15 Minutes Of Misery, which was later expanded into TV series 15 Storeys High.
The show was set in a tower block and centred on a pessimistic character called Vince, played by Lock, and his flatmate Errol, played by Benedict Wong.
In 2005, Lock became a regular team captain on the panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats, a role he held for 18 series.
Between 2006 and 2007 he hosted Channel 4 series, TV Heaven, Telly Hell, in which he invited celebrities to share their own selection of TV’s triumphs and tragedies.
Guests on the show included Alan Davies, Johnny Vaughan, David Mitchell, Bill Bailey, Johnny Vegas and Nick Hancock.
In 2000, he won the gong for the best live stand-up at the British Comedy Awards.
-with AAP
The post ‘You can’t write tears’: Comedian Sean Lock dies appeared first on The New Daily.
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