Eric Morecambe's son Gary fears fame and pressures of showbiz may have led to the untimely death of his father who died aged just 58.
Born John Eric Bartholomew, Morecambe formed a much-loved comedy double act with Ernie Wise on stage and television, with more than 27 million viewers watching their hilarious Christmas special in 1977.
But in a new interview his son says Eric was not “emotionally equipped” for being in the spotlight.
Gary said: “Being at the top of the entertainment tree was something that never really sat well with my father. While his goal had always been to make an honest career as an entertainer, becoming a living legend had not been on his agenda.
"I don’t believe he was emotionally equipped with what goes with that elevated position. He had no coping mechanism. There was no blueprint from his childhood to prepare him for what was to come. He was quite stressed by nature – always on the go. Not one to sit and meditate."
“Responsibility seemed genuinely to unsettle him. Also, he always felt the need to give to the public the Eric Morecambe he had created, and they expected to find. Add to that the enormous popularity and demands of each successive Christmas show and you can start to appreciate how the pressure became a health risk.
“Did comedy kill him? Purely in terms of his health, it clearly didn’t do him any favours. The irony is that he wouldn’t have had it any other way. I once asked him if he could relive his life, what he would alter. He answered, without a moment’s hesitation, ‘I’d do it all the same way … only quicker!’.”
Looking ahead to what would be his dad's 95th birthday next month in an article in 400th edition of The Oldie magazine, son Gary also spoke of the longevity of Morecambe and Wise's jokes and legacy.
He added: “Friday 14th May 2021 would have been my father’s 95th birthday."
Sadly, he never made it beyond 58. Tragic though that was for his family, friends and legion of fans, it is in some respects as if he never actually left us.
“Morecambe and Wise are forever in the nation’s psyche as middle-aged men in suits, exchanging barbed, surreal lines about a mutual upbringing that never really took place. Add to that the fantasy of the shared apartment and double bed, and that wonderful myth they created is now a part of British entertainment history.
“As Eric Morecambe’s elder son, who has spent much of his life happily documenting his father’s magical legacy, it is simultaneously weird and wonderful that, although now in my mid-sixties, I still find myself inordinately enthusiastic for, and drawn to, Morecambe and Wise.”
The duo's partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984. He passed away after collapsing on stage with his third heart attack shortly after his 58th birthday Ernie Wise, born Ernest Wiseman in 1925 in Leeds, died in 1999 aged 73, a few months before the statue of Morecambe was officially unveiled in his hometown of Morecambe by the Queen.
After Bartholomew and Wise failed to draw in crowds, Eric also decided upon a stage name.
Choosing the name of his home town, Morecambe and Wise went on to entertain audiences for decades.
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