Comedian Dave Allen dies

[pies4ever]

Comedian Dave Allen dies
From correspondents in London
12mar05

IRREVERENT Irish comedian Dave Allen, famed in Britain for his sit-down comic routines with a whisky in one hand and cigarette in the other, has died aged 68.

His agent said today he passed away in his sleep yesterday (AEDT), but the cause of his death was not known.
"He had been ill over Christmas but then was OK. This has come as a surprise," said Vivienne Clore.

The former journalist made his breakthrough in Australia in 1963 when, during a tour of the country, he was offered a television slot called Tonight With Dave Allen.

He appeared in a series of the same title back in Britain in the late 1960s before hosting The Dave Allen Show and Dave Allen At Large, where the popular format of his relaxed routine interspersed with guest appearances took off.

Allen would target both sex and religion, particularly the Catholic church, in his routines, drawing the ire of lobby groups, and his use of strong language also landed him in hot water.

Allen one-liners singled out by former employer the BBC included: "I'm an atheist ... thank God."

"Am I the Irish comedian with half a finger? No, I'm the Irish comedian with nine-and-a-half fingers," he said, referring to the missing tip of one of his fingers.

Later in his career Allen presented documentaries and played straight roles before he went into semi-retirement. His last interview was in 1999 on BBC's Radio 4.

Tributes poured in for Allen, described by a former co-writer as "the original grumpy old man".

"He was an observer of the silliness of human beings," Gay Byrne, Ireland's best known chat show host, told Irish state broadcaster RTE.

"If he could survive, I suppose, among the holiday makers of Butlins as a redcoat, you could survive anywhere, including the Glasgow Empire ... where, as they say, if they liked you they allowed you to live."

Allen is survived by his wife and three children.


http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,12521491%255E1702,00.html

[London Dave]

Real funny man....may his god go with him.

[Pa Marmo]

Wonder if he is mocking God now????????????????

[London Dave]

Allen never mocked God, he took the piss out of the hypocrisy shown by the church in Ireland, as well as other religions.

As to whether he's mocking god now, I don't think so. He's dead.