Tom O’Connor has died aged 81, it has been announced, the comedian leaving behind a spectacular legacy on the small screen.
The veteran stand-up star was best known as a game show presenter, fronting some of Britain’s best-loved prime time hits from Crosswits to Name That Tune.
O’Connor died on July 18, and his cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
According to his daughter-in-law, the former athlete Denise Lewis, O’Connor battled Parkinson’s disease in the last 14 years of his life.
Born in Lancashire, he originally trained as a mathematics and music teacher, but his innate love for comedy soon took over.
(Image: TV Times/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Teaching students by day, he would spend his evenings entertaining crowds in working men’s clubs, performing comedy routines and honing his craft.
Eventually, he broke into the world of television, a gig on The Comedians serving as his golden ticket to the world of showbiz.
Throughout the 70s and 80s he was a TV staple, hosting a wide array of quiz and variety shows including Pick Pockets, Wednesday at 8, and Gambit.
(Image: Unknown)
Becoming a household name, he landed his own programme, The Tom O’Connor Show, which was filled with comedy sketches and light entertainment.
Later in his career, Tom tried his hand at acting, appearing in the medical soap opera Doctors at the turn of the millennium.
He also dabbled in reality television – he was crowned the champion on Celebrity Come Dine With Me, and he was frequently featured on Countdown.
(Image: FilmMagic)
Looking back over his career, in 1994 he released an autobiography titled Take A Funny Turn… which offered a glimpse at his life on and offstage.
When news of O’Connor’s death broke, tributes from his fans and peers in the world of entertainment flooded social media, honouring his glittering reputation as a presenter.
“Sad to hear that Tom O’Connor has died – who found his entertainment feet in working men’s clubs before becoming one of the slickest TV hosts of his era,” penned one fan on Twitter.
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
“Sorry to learn that we’ve lost Tom O’Connor – a huge tv face from my childhood,” wrote a second.
While a third fan, who encountered him on a gameshow, recalled: “Sad to read this. 30 years ago I was a petrified contestant on Crosswits and Tom was enormously kind, patient and generous with the bumbling amateur members of the public he had to work with. Haven’t forgotten.”
O’Connor is survived by his wife, Pat, and their four children.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
