Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Tony Slattery dies of heart attack aged 65

Comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 following a heart attack, his partner has said.

The actor was famous for appearing on the Channel 4 comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and other series such as Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.

He had launched his podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, just a few months ago, in October.

A statement made on behalf of his partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson, said: “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.”

Born in 1959, Slattery went to the University of Cambridge alongside contemporaries Dame Emma Thompson, Sir Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

While there, he served as president of the legendary Cambridge Footlights improvisation group.

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Slattery also appeared in films in the 1980s and 1990s, including crime thriller The Crying Game, black comedy How To Get Ahead In Advertising, alongside Richard E Grant, and Peter’s Friends, which also starred Laurie, Sir Stephen and Dame Emma.

His TV acting credits included playing a detective in Tiger Bastable, a gentlemen comedy spoof, and the sitcom Just A Gigolo.

And on stage, he received an Olivier Award nomination for best comedy performance in 1995, for the Tim Firth play Neville’s Island, which was later made into a film starring Timothy Spall. He also starred in Privates On Parade, based on the film of the same name, as impersonator Captain Terri Dennis, and made his West End debut in the 1930s-style musical Radio Times.

Slattery spoke regularly about his bipolar disorder and in 2020 revealed that he went bankrupt following a battle with substance abuse and mental health issues.

He told the Radio Times that his “fiscal illiteracy and general innumeracy” as well as his “misplaced trust in people” had also contributed to his money problems.

He released a BBC documentary called What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery? in the same year, which saw him and Hutchinson visit leading experts on mood disorders and addiction.

Comedians including Richard K Herring and Al Murray are among those who have paid tribute.

“Really sad news about Tony Slattery,” Murray wrote on X. “Such a dazzling talent.”