COMEDIAN Tony Slattery’s “brilliant talent” has delighted fans for more than 40 years – but behind the humor he was deeply troubled by depression and addiction.
At the height of her career, the featured star of Channel 4’s improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? — who died today after a heart attack at the age of 65 — disappeared from public life after suffering a breakdown at the age of 36.
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Behind comedian Tony Slattery’s humor, he was deeply troubled by depression and addiction Credit: Rex
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Tony Slattery’s ‘Dazzling Talent’ Delights Fans For Over 40 Years Credit: Rex
Tony later described the episode as a six-month period of torture in which he spent time living in a warehouse and “throwing (his) furniture into the Thames”.
He added: “I was very happy until I got a bit skinny.”
Tony, who has also appeared in films including How To Get Ahead In Advertising, The Crying Game and Peter’s Friends, was among a group of comedians who emerged from the Footlights student comedy troupe at Cambridge University in the 1980s.
Close friend and colleague former Footlights star Sir Stephen Fry paid tribute to Tony, calling him “the gentlest, sweetest soul”, adding: “Not to mention a screaming wit and a very talented wit and clown.”
And comedian Al Murray wrote: “Really sad news about Tony Slattery. Such a brilliant talent.”
Tony was a familiar face and voice on TV and radio in the late 80s and 90s, on comedy shows such as Radio 4’s Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You on BBC One.
He then appeared in the BBC documentary What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery? in 2020, in which he revealed he had been sexually abused by a priest when he was eight years old.
As a demon-ridden adult, he turned to drink and drugs.
He said he never knew how much he spent on cocaine, but “wouldn’t be surprised” if media reports that he spent £4,000 a week on the drug, consuming 10g of coke and two bottles of vodka a day, were true.
Tony was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and went into therapy after the documentary.
Tony Slattery reveals he snorted 10g of Coke a day but it was 95% human poo on This Morning
He later said he had cut his drinking “by about a quarter – and that’s a start”.
Despite his traumas, his popularity remained unchanged, and adult comics Viz dedicated a unique comic to him called Tony Slattery & His Phoney Cattery.
But most will remember him for his hilarious sketches Whose Line Is It Anyway?, alongside fellow panelists such as Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Sandi Toksvig and Rory Bremner. 48 episodes were shown between 1988 and 1995.
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Close friend and colleague former Footlights star Sir Stephen Fry paid tribute to Tony, calling him ‘the gentlest, sweetest soul’Credit: Rex
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Tony Slattery, pictured left, on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Credits: Channel 4
In his tribute to Tony, Stephen Fry said it was “a cruel irony that fate took him from us just as he was really beginning to emerge from his life’s battle with so many dark demons”.
Born in Stonebridge, North London to a working-class Irish family, Tony was the youngest of five children. A sportsman, he gained a black belt in judo and represented England under-15s at international level.
After high school in West London, he won a scholarship to read languages at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Dark demons
He then met Stephen, who became a close friend and invited Tony to join Footlights, where he met contemporaries such as Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson and Sandi Toksvig and discovered a love of theatre.
Tony’s first television break came on Chris Tarrant’s Saturday Stayback in 1983. In 1988, he made his debut on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and soon he was making regular appearances.
In 1995, he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in Tim Firth’s play Neville’s Island.
As his career developed, Tony managed to keep his mental health on the straight and narrow, thanks to his partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, whom he met while performing in the West End musical Me And My Girl in mid- 80’s.
Tony, who lived with Mark in a flat in Edgware, north London, once said of his partner: “They stuck by me when my behavior was so unreasonable and I can only think of it as unconditional love.
“He certainly isn’t with me for my money—we don’t have any.”
During Tony’s TV documentary about his mental health, Mark described how he could see the comedian’s “vulnerability, his sense of being lost and alone”.
He echoed the sentiments of Tony’s many fans when he added: “He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, no matter what.”
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Tony was a familiar face and voice on TV and radio in the late 80’s and 90’s Credit: Rex
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Tony appeared in Coronation Street 2005 Credit: Rex
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