Barry Chuckle death: ‘Devastated’ brother Paul leads emotional tributes to late comedy partner

'Barry would be so happy to know how much he was loved'

Paul Chuckle has paid emotional tribute to his brother and comedy partner Barry who has passed away at the age of 73.

In his initial statement, Chuckle - real name Paul Elliott - said: “I've not just lost my brother, I've lost my theatrical partner of many, many years and my very best friend.”

He later followed this with a message posted on his Twitter account by his wife Sue. It read: “Paul has asked me to send a message to thank EVERYONE for your lovely messages this morning, he is absolutely devastated so unable to respond himself but your messages really do help and he knows Barry would so happy to know how much he was loved, Sue X”.

The world of entertainment is continuing to pay tribute to the entertainer who shot to fame as part of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers following an appearance on talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1967.

David Walliams - who worked with the pair multiple times over the years - described him as one-half of “the last link to the British Musical Hall tradition that gave us Stan Laurel & Charlie Chaplin.”

Rapper Tinchy Stryder branded him a “funny, down to earth, super cool, talented, humble legend.” He collaborated with the duo on the charity single “To Me, To You (Bruv)” which was released in aid of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust in 2014.

Many to have paid tribute, including singer Dua Lipa, Jack Whitehall and Paddy McGuinness, cited the Chuckle Brothers as a huge part of their upbringing.

“Thank you for being a part of my childhood and for the hours spent in laughter,” the former said in tribute to Elliott.

Film director Edgar Wright highlighted the duo's cross-generational reach, writing: "Not every celebrity death gets eulogies from @DUALIPA & @realbasilbrush. RIP to the gloriously silly Barry Chuckle."

Elliott's death was announced by his manager Phil Dale who said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that the family announce that Barry passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife Ann and all his family."

The duo earned legions of younger fans following BBC show ChuckleVision which ran from 1987 to 2009. Their famous catchphrases included “To me, to you.”