It Ain’t Half Hot Mum actor John Clegg dies aged 90 as tributes pour in for beloved BBC star
Beloved BBC actor John Clegg has died at the age of 90.
The star, who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in the film It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, died peacefully at a nursing home.
The news was announced on Tuesday via The Telegraph, with Elstree Studios board member Morris Bright sharing the announcement.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: ‘We are so sorry to hear that La Di Da Gunner Graham, actor John Clegg, has gone to that great concert party in the sky at the age of 90. He was certainly one of the guys who entertained us.
Tributes poured in for the star, with the British Comedy Society posting on X: ‘We are saddened to hear of the death of actor John Clegg, better known as It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’s Padrewski, Gunner Graham. He was 90.’
Beloved BBC actor John Clegg has died at the age of 90
The star, who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in the film It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, passed away peacefully at a nursing home
Born in 1934 in Murree, Punjab, India to English parents, John played Gunner ‘Paderewski’ Graham in the classic sitcom.
One of his more recent roles was in the 2001 film Bridget Jones’s Diary.
John was married to sitcom star Mavis Pugh, until her death in 2006. They both starred in You Rang, M’Lord (1988) and Are You Being Served? (1972).
Pugh also starred in Fawlty Towers and Clegg had a smaller role in 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary.
In October 2017, Clegg gave a lecture entitled ‘My Life as an Actor’ to the Chichester Literary Society, in which he described his career, which began at the prestigious RADA drama school in London.
He entertained the audience with stories, including his encounter with the young Dame Judi Dench, who said she did not think he was suited to traditional Shakespearean roles.
A fan of Rudyard Kipling, Clegg also produced a one-man show based on the storyteller with his wife Mavis, which was a hit at the Edinburgh Festival in the 1980s.
Tributes have poured in for the star, with the British Comedy Society posting on X: ‘We are saddened to hear of the death of actor John Clegg, better known as It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’s Padrewski, Gunner Graham. He was 90’