Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Business

British television entertainer Bruce Forsyth dies aged 89: BBC

FILE PHOTO: TV presenter and entertainer Bruce Forsyth performs on the Avalon Stage at the Glastonbury music festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, June 30, 2013. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran British television presenter and entertainer Bruce Forsyth, who appeared for decades on a string of Saturday night primetime shows, has died at the age of 89, the BBC reported on Friday.

Forsyth, one of Britain's best-known gameshow hosts, fronted television programmes including "The Generation Game" and "Play Your Cards Right". Most recently he presented dance contest "Strictly Come Dancing" for ten years until 2014.

BBC Director General Tony Hall described him as "one of the greatest entertainers our country has ever known".

FILE PHOTO: British television personality Bruce Forsyth (R) sits with his wife, Wilnelia Merced, on Centre Court at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 22, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo

"He has delighted millions of people and defined Saturday night television for decades ... his warmth and his wit were legendary," Hall said in a statement on Twitter.

"He had a remarkable chemistry with his audience - that's what made him such an amazing professional and why he was so loved."

The BBC reported Forsyth, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2011, had been unwell for some time and had undergone keyhole surgery in 2015 after suffering two aneurysms.

FILE PHOTO: TV presenter and entertainer Bruce Forsyth performs on the Avalon Stage at the Glastonbury music festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, June 30, 2013. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/File Photo

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Kate Holton)

FILE PHOTO:British television personality Bruce Forsyth and his wife Wilnelia Merced arrive for Ladies Day, the third day of racing at Royal Ascot in southern England June 16, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Horse Racing - Royal Ascot - Ascot Racecourse - 16/6/15 Sir Bruce Forsyth arrives at Ascot REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/File Photo
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.