Tony Slattery’s heartfelt message to fans that he shared weeks before his death

Tony Slattery declared ‘we need humour more than ever’ in a message to fans just a few weeks before his death.

This week it was announced the comedian, best known for appearing on Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, had died aged 65 following a heart attack.

His death was announced by his partner of more than three decades, Mark Michael Hutchinson, who said: ‘It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.’

Just a few weeks before he died Slattery, who also appeared on shows including Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You, shared a post thanking fans for their support.

Wearing a red and green tinsel scarf, he posted the message on Christmas Day.

‘Hello everyone who is watching this, Tony Slattery here. President of the Rambling Club. We have had a wonderful year and it’s thanks to you, the listeners and also the Patreon people who keep us going,’ he said of his podcast that he hosted alongside Paul Carmichael and Allan Lear.

Tony Slattery shared a heartfelt message to fans a few weeks before his death (Picture: Tony Slattery/ X)

‘We are growing exponentially and we love doing it. This is just to say thank you and Merry Christmas.

‘Oh and the guests we’ve had on. We’ve had on Hacker the dog, which was hilarious, Julian Carey from who I have borrowed this [referring to his tinsel]. He is in panto but spared it for me. We have got lots of really interesting guests lined up but we will keep that secret for now.’

He continued: ‘Quality guests, that’s what we offer. We offer existential conversations and good humour. This is just to say to you all a big thank you, we love the fact that you are listening to us and we are helping to bring peace and love to the world.’

He died last week aged 65 after suffering a heart attack

The comedian said people ‘needed humour more than ever’ (Picture: Robbie Jack/ Corbis via Getty Images)

Concluding the video, he added: ‘And humour, god knows we need it more than ever. Have a very Merry Christmas and a really healthy, happy new year.’

The Rambling Club was launched in October last year, while Slattery had also recently been touring a comedy show, with his next show due to be held later this week.

A former president of Cambridge Footlights, the comedian was a contemporary of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.

He first appeared on screens in 1983 on Chris Tarrant’s show, Saturday Stayback.

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