British comedian Ian Cognito died on stage in 2019, 35 years after Tommy Cooper's similar fate. Cognito, whose real name was Paul Barbieri, was born in London in 1958 and had been performing since the mid-1980s.
What Happened That Night
On April 11, 2019, Cognito walked on stage at The Atic bar in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Not long into his set, he suffered a health crisis. The 60-year-old sat on a stool, breathing heavily, then fell silent for five minutes.
Audience members thought it was part of his act and continued laughing. He had even joked about his health that night, telling the crowd: “Imagine if I died in front of you lot here.”
Cause of Death
Cognito died from an aortic dissection, a tear in the body's main artery. South Central Ambulance Service confirmed he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Compere Andrew Bird said he also believed the comic was joking: "Even when I walked on stage and touched his arm I was expecting him to say 'boo'." Bird added that dying on stage would have been the way the veteran comic "would have wanted to go", "except he'd want more money and a bigger venue".
Tommy Cooper's Death
Tommy Cooper died on April 15, 1984, at age 63, from a massive heart attack on live television during the variety show Live From Her Majesty's in London. The ITV broadcast, watched by roughly 12 million people, saw Cooper fall backward against the curtain and slide to the floor. The studio audience applauded and laughed, thinking it was part of his act. Producers soon realised he had suffered a medical emergency, and Cooper was rushed to Westminster Hospital but died on arrival.
