On 15 April 1984, one of Britain's most beloved comedians, Tommy Cooper, was performing on the live show Live From Her Majesty's when he collapsed and died on stage. The audience, believing it was part of his act, continued laughing as he slumped and stopped moving.
A comedian's final performance
Cooper, 63, was known for his fez hat, bungled magic tricks, and booming catchphrase. Midway through his signature cloak sketch, he suddenly dropped and slumped on stage. The evening's host, Jimmy Tarbuck, who was behind the curtain feeding Cooper props, initially assumed it was an improvised number.
The audience kept laughing for several minutes, even as Cooper stopped moving. Tarbuck and the crew soon realised something was seriously wrong. As the audience grew confused, the broadcast went to a break, and producers scrambled to keep the show running while trying to help Cooper.
Chaos behind the curtain
The crew moved Cooper's 6ft 3in body behind the curtain so it would no longer be visible. The following acts, Les Dennis and Dustin Gee, performed in the cramped space in front of the curtain, unaware of what was happening just feet away. Singer Howard Keel told Tarbuck he'd sing “up the f****** aisle” if it meant giving the crew more room to work.
Cooper was taken to Westminster Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The news broke publicly the next day.
Reflections and legacy
Speaking years later, Tarbuck recalled telling producer David Bell, "I said to David Bell, one of the great producers, this isn't it [part of the act]. 'Now', he said, 'you know how he is. He's put this in... And...I said, No... this is not him. I said, I'm telling you. I said, I'm going on David, this is live."
Cooper's friend, actress Sheila Hancock, said: "I think the way he died was perfect, really. I think he was happy on the stage. So he died in his happy place." In the years before his death, Cooper battled serious alcohol problems, which he attributed to severe stage fright, along with heavy smoking that contributed to chronic bronchitis and circulation issues.
In 2005, fellow comedians voted him the sixth greatest comedy act of all time, and a statue was unveiled in his hometown of Caerphilly in 2008 by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
