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British actor Tony Britton has died, aged 95.
His daughter, former This Morning Fern Britton , announced the news on Twitter on Sunday (22 December).
“Our father, Tony Britton, died early this morning,” she wrote. “Great actor, director and charmer. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
Britton was best known for starring alongside Nigel Havers and Dinah Sheridan as Dr Toby Latimer in the BBC sitcom Don’t Wait Up .
The show was broadcast for six series from 1983 to 1990.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Leon Redbone Leon Redbone died on 30 May, 2019, aged 69. The singer-songwriter, who was noticed by Bob Dylan in the Seventies and was an early guest on Saturday Night Live, released more than 15 albums over the course of four decades.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Cameron Boyce Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce died in his sleep on 6 July, aged 20. His family later confirmed the actor, who appeared in Jessie and descendants, had epilepsy.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Rip Torn Rip Torn, the film, TV and theatre actor, died on 9 July, 2019, aged 88. His career spanned seven decades.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Rutger Hauer Dutch actor Rutger Hauer famously played replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. As Batty, he delivered the iconic "tears in the rain" monologue. Hauer died on 19 July, 2019 aged 75.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Paula Williamson Actor Paula Williamson, who starred in Coronation Street and married criminal Charles Bronson, was found dead on 29 July, 2019.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Toni Morrison Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison died at the age of 88 on 6 August. Her death was confirmed “with profound sadness” by the Morrison family, who said she had passed away in the Bronx, New York, “following a short illness”. The celebrated writer of 11 novels was known for her searing works about slavery and the experiences of black women, including 1987’s Beloved, the story of a runaway female slave – for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year. She became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Ben Unwin Home and Away star Ben Unwin was found dead aged 41 on 14 August, according to New South Wales Police. He starred as 'bad boy' Jesse McGregor on the popular Australian soap between 1996-2000, and then 2002-2005 before switching to a career in law
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Franco Columbu Italian bodybuilder, who appeared in The Terminator, The Running Man and Conan the Barbarian, died on 30 August, 2019, aged 78. The former Mr Olympia enjoyed a successful career as a boxer and was best friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kylie Rae Harris The country singer died in a car crash on 4 September, 2019, at the age of 30. Harris, of Wylie, Texas, she was scheduled to perform at a music festival in New Mexico the next day.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Chris Cotton The US comedian Chris Cotton, best known for the Comedy Central web series Every Damn Day, died on 13 December at the age of 32. A cause of death has yet to be announced. Cotton is survived by his wife Ericalynn, who is due to give birth to their first child in February.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Danny Aiello Actor Danny Aiello, best known for his role as Sal in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, died on Thursday, 12 December at the age of 86.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Chuy Bravo Comedian and entertainer Chuy Bravo, who found fame as the sidekick to comic Chelsea Handler, died 15 December at the age of 63. Bravo was taken ill during a trip to his native Mexico, and died in hospital.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kenny Lynch Entertainer Kenny Lynch, known for roles in Carry On Loving and TV show The Sweeney along with a successful pop career, died aged 81. Lynch was born in east London in 1938, to a Barbadian father and a mother of British and Jamaican heritage. He was one of the UK’s first black pop stars, who toured with The Beatles and achieved two top 10 hits including “Up on the Roof”, which was originally recorded by The Drifters. He was also the first artist to cover a Beatles song, when he released a version of Lennon and McCartney composition “Misery” in 1963.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Jerry Herman The Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, who wrote the music and lyrics for shows including Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles, died 26 December at the age of 88. Herman’s death was confirmed by his goddaughter, who told the Associated Press that he died of pulmonary complications in Miami, Florida. Herman created 10 Broadway shows, and won two Tony Awards for Best Musical for Hello, Dolly! (1964) and La Cage aux Folles (1983). He also won two Grammys and, in 2010, became a Kennedy Center honouree.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Andrew Dunbar The extra, who worked as a body double for Theon Greyjoy actor Alfie Allen, reportedly died at his home in Belfast on 23 December. He was in his thirties. Pamela Smyth, head of Crowd Makeup on the hit HBO show, told Belfast Live: “Even among the thousands of extras that came through the crowd room on Thrones – Andrew always stood out.” Dunbar’s co-star and friend Andy McClay said: “Everyone always wanted Andrew. There was just something about him that was special."
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kelly Fraser Kelly Fraser, the Canadian pop artist who gained worldwide attention for her Inuit-language colour of “Diamonds” by Rihanna, died in December aged 26. Fraser was known for her advocacy efforts for her indigenous culture, and wrote or translated songs into the Inuit language of Inukitut with the aim of using pop music to raise awareness of it.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Neil Innes Comedian and musician Neil Innes, who collaborated with Monty Python and played with The Rutles, died on 30 December aged 75. Essex-born Innes wrote music for Monty Python’s albums including Monty Python’s Previous Record and The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief, after becoming involved with the comedy group in the 1970s.
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He previously starred in the comedy shows ...And Mother Makes Five and Robin’s Nest .
His film appearances include The Day of the Jackal (1973), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and Operation Amsterdam (1959).
Britton’s career began after completing army service in the Second World War, when he was spotted by a local critic in an amateur dramatic production.
He told the Lancashire Post in 2008: “He introduced me to one or two people and one of them gave me a job and I walked on in Worthing in two plays one after the other.”
Britton is survived by his two daughters, Fern and Cherry, and son Jasper, whom he had with his second wife, the Danish sculptor Eva Castle Britton.
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