Barry Humphries dies: Family in talks over Victorian state funeral

The family of Melbourne-born comedy legend Barry Humphries is in talks with the Victorian government over the possibility of a state funeral.

Humphries died Saturday at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney from complications of hip surgery following a fall earlier this year.

He turned 89.

Creative Industry Minister Steve Dimopoulos says discussions are underway with the entertainer’s loved ones about the best ways to honor his legacy.

Several options are on the table, including a state funeral.

“The main driver of these things is the family, because it is their gift to decide effectively in dialogue with the government,” Dimopoulos said on Sunday.

So yeah, that could be it [a state funeral]. It could be much more.’

Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said Humphries would live on through his iconic writing and larger-than-life characters, most notably Dame Edna Everage who put the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds on the map.

‘But in the end he was a boy from Kew with big dreams. And he reached them,” he posted on Twitter.

NSW counterpart Chris Minns says Humphries has popularized Australian larrikinism on the world stage, but he doesn’t want to “front-line” potential gestures or ceremonies in Sydney.

‘[He was] an Australian legend and someone we would like to honor,” he said.

Prime Minister Daniel Andrews (pictured April 20) said Humphries would live on through his iconic writing and larger-than-life characters, most notably Dame Edna Everage who put the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds on the map

Humphries, known for his alter egos Dame Edna (pictured in Sydney on January 16, 2009), delighted and outraged audiences for more than half a century

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has also joined the chorus of local tributes to the revered comic, despite his checkered history with the late star.

Humphries delighted and outraged audiences for more than half a century and was a founding member of the festival, which led to it naming its annual Most Outstanding Act award in his honor in 2000.

But an outcry over a series of comments widely seen as transphobic led the festival to rename the top gong in 2019.

The MICF said on Sunday it was saddened to hear of Humphries’ passing and praised his contribution to the festival during its early years.

“Having started his career in Melbourne, Barry’s early support, along with Peter Cook, helped kick-start and raise awareness for the festival nationally and internationally.”

Humphries was also known for playing the lecherous and hopelessly alcoholic Australian cultural attache Les Patterson (seen here in an undated UK TV appearance)