Comedian Tony Slattery has died at the age of 65 following a heart attack after years fighting addiction to cocaine and alcohol as well as a battle with bipolar disorder and depression.
The stand up, best known as a star of Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, passed away on Sunday evening, his bereft partner of 40 years, Mark Michael Hutchinson, has revealed.
Mr Slattery was the contemporary of Dame Emma Thompson, Sir Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie at the University of Cambridge – where he was president of the world famous improvisation group The Cambridge Footlights.
He then became a household name on appeared on comedy shows including Whose Line Is It Anyway, Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.
But it later emerged that he battled addiction. At his lowest moments he was spending £4,000 a week on his drug habit at his lowest point, taking 10 grams of cocaine and downing two bottles of vodka.
In 2020 he revealed that he was raped by a priest aged eight and suffered from depression all his life, turning cocaine and booze in a bid to cope, even at the height of his fame.
He was last seen on TV five years ago. But had recently been touring a comedy show in England and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October.
Revealing his death, his partner Mark Michael Hutchinson 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.’
