He was so broke there were plans to give him a pauper’s burial until a complete stranger stepped in to help because he was a ‘bloody good comedian’
Freddie Starr passed away without a penny to his name and completely cut off from his six children.
The once-legendary British comic died in 2019 aged 76 following a heart attack, spending his final days alone in a modest one-bedroom apartment on Spain’s Costa del Sol. It was a sad end to his life and fellow comic Jim Davidson claims ‘police killed Starr’ after false sex allegations.
According to the Daily Mail, the entertainer was so financially destitute at the time of his death that authorities were preparing to bury him in a pauper’s grave in Spain until a complete stranger intervened to fund his return home and funeral arrangements.
Sheffield-based funeral director Michael Fogg ultimately footed the bill to ensure Freddie’s remains could be brought back to England.
Michael told the Mail: “Anyone who can make a funeral director laugh must be a bloody good comedian. And Freddie Starr could make me laugh.
“He shouldn’t be buried in foreign land, he should be brought back to be in his own country. For those asking why I am paying, well it is my money, it is my business and that is what I want to spend my money on. He should be reunited with the people he loved and his family.”
Freddie’s Bulgarian carer Nelly discovered his body and later revealed that he’d been estranged from his family for years.
She explained: “Freddie had bad feelings about back home, he felt the British people had deserted him. It would be terrible if Freddie ends up being buried in a pauper’s grave. I don’t want to see that happen but I’m worried if I tried to do something about it his relatives would object.”
Born in Liverpool in 1943, Freddie was the frontman of the Merseybeat band the Midniters during the 1960s before gaining fame on Opportunity Knocks and the Royal Variety Performance.
His career took off in the 1970s and ’80s with TV shows such as Freddie Starr (1993–94), The Freddie Starr Show (1996–98) and An Audience with Freddie Starr in 1996.
In 1986, he became the focus of The Sun’s notorious “Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster” headline.
He also presented Freddie Starr’s Variety Madhouse in 1979 alongside Russ Abbot, Mike Newman, Toni Palmer, Norman Collier and Bella Emberg.
Known for his unpredictable antics, he caused a stir in 1997 when he hurled live chickens into an audience at the Britannia Theatre in Great Yarmouth.
Audience member Kerry Duthie recalled: “It was absolutely wicked. People were screaming and there were feathers flying in the air.
“The chickens were flapping about in a panic. I am not a big animal rights supporter, but to see that happen was so cruel.”
However, Freddie brushed off the criticism, stating: “There is nothing wrong with what happened and it will be left in the video. It was not cruel at all. As far as the chickens go, it was a one-off.
“They have a professional handler and were kept in the cool outside the theatre before going on stage.”
Freddie tied the knot four times – first with Betty, then Sandy, later Donna, and finally Sophie in 2013 – and was the father of six children.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
