Gorden Kaye, best known for his role in the BBC sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo!, died at the age of 75.
Gorden Kaye was a British actor and singer best known for his role as ‘Rene Artois’ in the hit comedy TV series “Allo ‘Allo!’ The series was also adapted into a stage play, with over 1,200 performances. His first big break came when he played the character ‘Bernard Butler’ in the soap opera ‘Coronation Street.’
He began his career as a radio host, then moved on to the stage and small screen, eventually graduating to big-screen projects. He also appeared in several popular sitcoms, including ‘Are You Being Served?’ ‘Last of the Summer Wine,’ and ‘Born and Bred.’ He also appeared in critically acclaimed films, including ‘Jabberwocky’ and ‘Brazil.’
In 1989, he co-wrote his autobiography, ‘Rene and Me: An Autobiography,’ which was published. Gorden Kaye, the star of Allo Allo, died after a two-year battle with dementia that left him unable to recognize his family. Gorden Kaye, the star of Allo Allo, died after a two-year battle with dementia that left him unable to recognize his family.
The 75-year-old comic actor died of kidney failure at his care home on Monday morning, but his family says his death was a “blessing” because he would never have recovered. Raymond Shuttleworth, the husband of Kaye’s cousin Sheila, who visited star two weeks before his death, said: ‘He had not been well for a while, but he was coping, and it was a renal failure that finished him off.’
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We were warned that it could be fatal. I am not too sad because his death was a blessing. He was never going to get better. ‘He was also diagnosed with dementia two years ago, and he no longer recognized us and just talked nonsense.’ He had not recognized himself. But he had excellent staff who looked after him, and they were absolutely incredible.
‘He had no brothers or sisters, only a few cousins, and he was a lone survivor until the end.’ And it was just a matter of survival for him, and he was very lonely. All of this is very sad.
‘Raymond, an 86-year-old retired college lecturer, described his famous relative as “a brilliant actor, a comic genius, who brought a lot of joy to many people.” ‘It is a shame,’ he said. He contributed more than most, and he still makes people laugh today.’
Kaye was best known for his role as Rene Artois in the BBC sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo, which made fun of France’s Nazi occupation. He has also appeared in Last of the Summer Wine, Are You Being Served?, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale.
‘He always appreciated his fans, saying ‘They are my bread and butter,’ Raymond added, and he always stopped to sign autographs in the street.’ Kaye, the only child, described himself as a “shy, gay, and overweight boy” and remained single. He has only a few surviving family members.
Raymond and his bereaved wife Sheila, 84, of Coalville, Leicestershire, are now busy planning the actor’s funeral in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. His former co-stars, including Vicki Michelle, are expected to attend. ‘So sad to hear news of Gorden Kaye,’ Michelle wrote on Twitter.
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A brilliantly talented actor and consummate professional adored around the world. Rene will never be replaced.’ Father-of-two Raymond claimed that many of his friends had abandoned him since he moved into a nursing home. ‘Not many people from London visited him, just one or two recently. They just seemed to forget about him,’ he said.
My wife and I went up whenever we could, but we are too old to drive, and it is difficult to get there by train or taxi.’ Last week, their son Ian, 56, paid him a visit at the Thistle Hill Care Home in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. ‘Ian told me he was just sitting in a chair and did not look well at all,’ Raymond said.
The only child Kaye described himself as a “shy, gay, and overweight boy” and chose to remain single. He has only a few surviving family members. Raymond and his bereaved wife Sheila, 84, of Coalville, Leicestershire, are now busy planning the actor’s funeral in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
His former co-stars, including Vicki Michelle, are expected to attend. ‘So sad to hear news of Gorden Kaye,’ Michelle wrote on Twitter. A brilliantly talented actor and consummate professional adored around the world. Rene will never be replaced.’
Father-of-two Raymond claimed that many of his friends had abandoned him since he moved into a nursing home. ‘Not many people from London visited him, just one or two recently. They just seemed to forget about him,’ he said.
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My wife and I went up whenever we could, but we are too old to drive, and it is difficult to get there by train or taxi.’ Last week, their son Ian, 56, paid him a visit at the Thistle Hill Care Home in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. ‘Ian told me he was just sitting in a chair and did not look well at all,’ Raymond said.
He described how the tee-total star smoked a bit but never touched alcohol after escaping death in a horrific car crash in 1990. ‘He had moved to a big house in Yeadon near Leeds in 2000 and lived alone there, then spent the last years of his life in three different care homes before moving into Thistle Hill four or five months ago,’ Raymond explained.
‘Gorden was sat up and talking, but he did not know us anymore, he was saying all sorts of things, but it did not mean anything,’ he recalled from his last visit. He was in his little world; one assumes he was unhappy, but he was so far along in his dementia that he may not have been aware.’
Raymond described how staff from the care home called him and housewife Sheila at 11 a.m. on Monday to break the news. ‘He had been all on his own,’ he explained. An hour later, his death was all over Twitter, and I wondered, ‘How on earth did that get out so quickly?’
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‘I like to remember sitting with him and talking to him and remembering what a brilliant actor he was,’ he added, adding that ‘Allo ‘Allo was his best role. He was in 84 episodes of that, which were shown worldwide, and Germany was the last country to take it, which is ironic given that the show made fun of Germans.’
Raymond recalls being invited to numerous screenings with his wife. ‘We were in the audience a lot at one point, and he made us laugh,’ he said. ‘His acting friends may have forgotten him, but he will never be forgotten by us, his family, and his legions of fans,’ says the family.
