Barry Humphries was planning to make his big showbiz comeback just weeks before his death on Saturday.
Humphries died aged 89 at St Vincents Hospital in Sydney, where he was treated for complications from hip surgery earlier this year.
According to his old friend Bill Muirhead, a former advertising executive and agent general for South Australia, Humphries hoped to bring his alter ego Sir Les Patterson out of retirement.
Created by Humphries in the 1970s, Sir Les Patterson was a dirty, offensive politician from Sydney.
He seemed the exact opposite of the comedian’s other beloved character, Dame Edna Everage, a sophisticated, well-mannered Melbourne woman.
Barry Humphries, 89, (pictured) was planning his big showbiz comeback just weeks before his death on Saturday, his longtime friend Bill Muirhead said
Speak against The advertiser on Saturday night, Muirhead recalled returning to Australia from the UK a few months ago and realized that Humphries’s health was not at its best.
“I called him when I got back to Australia, and we discussed his extended hospital stay, and he jokingly said, ‘I’m not in showroom condition,'” Muirhead recalled.
“He said Les would make a comeback and anything but racism was fair game… We talked last Monday and I helped him find a song about the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels [a term of endearment Australian WW2 troops gave to the local Papua New Guinea villagers] written during World War II for a show.’
Muirhead, a former advertising executive and agent general for South Australia, said Humphries hoped to bring his alter ego Sir Les Patterson out of retirement. (Pictured as Sir Les Patterson in November 1994)
“He wondered if it was racist, but after speaking with the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, they assured us it wasn’t,” added Muirhead.
Excited about this finding, Humphries was eager to include it in a new show.
Tragically, his show would never come to fruition.
Humphries died surrounded by his immediate family, including his wife of 30 years Lizzie Spender, his children Tessa, Emily, Oscar and Rupert, and 10 grandchildren.
Created by Humphries in the 1970s, Sir Les Patterson was a dirty, offensive politician from Sydney. He seemed the exact opposite of the comedian’s other beloved character, Dame Edna Everage, a sophisticated, well-mannered Melbourne woman. (Pictured as Dame Edna in 2019)
Humphries, who has lived in London for decades, came back to Sydney for Christmas in December.
He subsequently suffered a fall that led to his hip replacement surgery.
“He was completely himself until the end and never lost his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity,” his family said in a statement.
Performing on stage for over 70 years, Humphries was “an entertainer at heart” who loved his audience and never took them for granted.
But he was also a painter, writer, poet and art collector.
He was also a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend and confidant to many. His passing leaves a void in so many lives,” his family said.
“The characters he created, who made millions of people laugh, will live on.”
Performing on stage for over 70 years, Humphries was ‘an entertainer at heart’ who loved his audiences and never took them for granted