Are You Being Served? star Mike Berry has died at the age of 82.
The Music and TV legend was famed for appearing as Mr Spooner in the BBC’s sitcom Are You Being Served? in the early 1980s. He also scored top ten hits with Don’t You Think It’s Time (1963) and his cover of The Sunshine of Your Smile (1980) and enjoyed a career spanning over 60 years.
His manager and friend Peter Stockton confirmed his passing and paid tribute to the star. In a post on Facebook, he wrote: “It is with the deepest regret that I have to inform everyone that the legendary Mike Berry died peacefully this morning, his family members by his bedside.
“As we all know, Mike was an amazing, highly talented performer whose career spanned 64 years – his first Hit being the haunting Tribute to Buddy Holly in 1961.
“His last show on February 23rd at The Half Moon was a sell out, and was testimony to his superb talent. He was also a gifted actor, highlighted by his performances in the iconic comedy Are You Being Served.
“A tragic loss to our world of music, and I hope that he is now having a laugh with many of his old pals up in Heaven.”
Musician David Stark also paid tribute to Mike, revealing the star’s death was ‘sudden’ following a sold-out show at The Half Moon in Putney just a few weeks ago. He wrote: “More sad news unfortunately, I’m shocked and saddened to learn we’ve lost Mike Berry quite suddenly, as our mutual pal and his manager Peter Stockton has just posted.
(Image: BBC / WALL TO WALL / GUY LEVY)
“I knew Mike for almost 50 years since 1976, one of the nicest guys in the biz always with a laugh and a smile. His excellent sold out show at the Half Moon Putney was only a few weeks ago, he was on terrific form and was due to do another one in the summer.
He added: “Very, very sad news indeed, RIP Mike you will be missed by everyone who knew you and your music for all these years.”
Berry landed three UK hits in the sixties, including his Tribute to Buddy Holly which was banned by the BBC for being “morbid”.
In 2016, Berry appeared on the fifth series of ITV’s The Voice but was not successful. The following year, he toured with The Solid Gold Rock’n’Roll Show – alongside fellow musicians such as Marty Wilde, Eden Kane, Mark Wynter and the Wildcats.
In 2019, he did the same tour again, alongside Marty, Charlie Gracie, Nancy Ann Lee and the Wildcats.
Speaking about how he landed the role in Are You Being Served, Berry told SciFiAndTalk: “At the time I had just gotten a new agent, Richard Stone, who also represented David Croft, who produced and wrote [with Jeremy Lloyd] Are You Being Served?. Richard knew they were looking for a new character to replace Mr. Lucas, who was played by Trevor Bannister.
“He called up David and said, ‘I’ve got the very person for you. He’s a young man who’s been very good in Worzel Gummidge,’ and so forth, so, I was asked to go see David Croft.”
“I met him at the BBC and read for him. Then I went back and read for Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft at somebody’s flat. I didn’t think I was very good, actually, but they gave me the part, and it was like all my birthdays coming at once. It was rather a good part to be acquired by an actor of such inexperience as myself.”
Before his time in the BBC sitcom, Berry played the father, Mr. Peters, in the TV adaptation of the Worzel Gummidge books. He later replaced Trevor Bannister’s character, Mr. Lucas, in the sitcom and stayed until 1985.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
