Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat

'One of a Kind': Australians Pay Tribute to 'Icon' Barry Humphries

Australia's Barry Humphries poses after receiving his Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, London October 10, 2007. REUTERS/Steve Parsons/Pool/File Photo

Australians have paid tribute to Barry Humphries, the comedian best known for his character Dame Edna Everage, as both a "one-of-a-kind" entertainer and a charming and intelligent man.

The Sydney Morning Herald said Humphries died on Saturday at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where he had been treated for various health issues. Humphries was 89, said Reuters.

Humphries, born and raised in Melbourne, rose to fame in Britain in the 1970s playing a host of Australian caricatures including Dame Edna, repulsive drunk diplomat Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, a decrepit rambling senior.

St Vincent’s Hospital chaplain Martin Maunsell said he met Humphries when the comedian was being treated for a fall, describing him as "charming" and "intelligent".

“He was one of a kind,” Maunsell said. “I don’t think we’ll ever see someone like him ever again in Australia.”

In the beachside suburb of Coogee, Sydney resident Dani Kersh said Humphries was like a "complete ray of sunshine".

"He provided a good dose of comedy and humor and entertainment across Australia. What a legend,” Kersh said.

Another Sydneysider, Lucy Bloom, said it felt like the character of Dame Edna would never come to an end.

“Dame Edna is a character you expect to live forever, so I was really, really shocked to see that we would have no more Dame Edna," Bloom said "I met her in 2015 in San Francisco and will never forget.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the local tributes following Humphries' death, calling him a "great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind".

"Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone. But the brightest star in that galaxy was always Barry," Albanese wrote on Twitter.

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.