The partner of comedian Tony Slattery is fundraising to pay for his funeral after saying the couple had no ‘plan B’ because his death was ‘so unexpected’, with fans donating £20,000.
The star, who has died aged 65, had battled depression and drug addiction which had led to a withdrawal from lucrative work on the UK comedy circuit.
At the height of his fame he was spending £4,000-a-week on cocaine while downing two bottles of vodka per day as he battled depression and dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse by a priest when he was eight.
The crowdfunding campaign, organised on behalf of his partner Mark Hutchinson, is asking for donations to fund a fitting farewell to the funnyman famed for his appearances in 80s Channel Four comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway?
So far the total has hit £20,395 more than £12,000 over the initial £8,000 target.
The web page describes Slattery, 65, as ‘a titan of British comedy’ and said: ‘Because Tony was only just getting back to work, and because his passing was so unexpected, there wasn’t a Plan B in place.
‘If you could give just a little towards a funeral for Tony, it would be a huge weight off Mark’s shoulders at this miserable time.’
Mr Slattery and his partner of 40 years Mark Michael Hutchinson (left), pictured together in 2020 for the documentary: What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery?
The actor and comedian was one of the biggest names on TV and radio but he later was declared bankrupt
Fans have pledged £20,000 to pay for his funeral after his loved ones asked for financial support
It explained: ‘Sadly, in later years mental health issues had diminished Tony’s career, but with the unwavering support of his long-term partner, Mark, he made it through the wilderness and was back touring and performing comedy.
‘Life was starting to look rosy again when, to the great shock of all who knew him, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Mark and Tony were looking forward to celebrating their fortieth anniversary this year.’
The couple lived together in a rented terraced cottage owned by a property developer in Edgware, North West London worth an estimated £500,000. The actor and comic previously told of his shame after his mother found uncashed cheques worth £100,000 ‘scrunched up’ under a sofa in his former luxury home – because he felt clueless about what to do with them.
After years battling drug and mental health issues Slattery was slowly trying to rebuild his career when he was struck by a fatal heart attack on January 14.
He had launched a podcast – Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club – which was producing weekly episodes, including one published on January 10 just four days before his death.
Millionaire Ex Cambridge University pal Stephen Fry, a fellow Whose Line is it Anyway, performer, had produced a promotional video for the podcast and Julian Clary was also a guest on a recent show.
Fans were encouraged to subscribe to the podcast via a Patreon site where he was asking for donations of either £3, £5, £25 or £100 a month.
A post after his death on the Patreon site said: ‘Your support helped to make the last six months of Tony’s life some of the most happy, creative and fulfilled days he had in a long time.’
Tony (pictured second from right) was probably best known for his role on improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which also starred Ryan Stiles,Mike McShane, Richard Vranch, Greg Proops and Clive Anderson
Mr Slattery, second from left, with members of the 1981 Cambridge University Footlights Revue including Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Paul Shearer, Penny Dwyer and Hugh Laurie (left to right)
As well as the podcast he had resumed touring and amongst other gigs had a monthly residency at Fort Perch Rock venue, Wirral.
A reviewer, Mike Moorhouse posted on social media about his last show on December 21 said: ‘smashing night out, good family fun, the whole cast were excellent.’
There have also been shows at Tank Bar, Warrington and he was due to play at The Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis laster this month.
Unlike his colleagues from The Cambridge Footlights Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, Slattery had no big companies, few recent TV or film roles and limited royalties from his successful past.
In a bittersweet reference to this the blurb from one recent show said at The Place, Bedford, said he discussed ‘the highs and lows of his life and career’ and ‘how he nimbly dodged the global superstardom that claimed so many of his colleagues’.
The comedian had revealed how the battle with his demons saw him lock himself away in his Thames-side apartment as he snorted £4,000 of cocaine a week and drank two bottles of vodka per day.
He talked openly in recent years about how this dark period of his life drove him to bankruptcy and lose friends.
Speaking in 2019, Slattery admitted he was very saddened when famous pals and hangers on deserted him when his money dried up.
The star was renowned for 1980s and 1990s appearances on shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway? before stepping back from the spotlight in decades to follow.
He later opened up on his struggles with bipolar disorder as well as drink and drugs addictions, while hiding away in his luxury Wapping flat – and also revealed how he was sexually abused as an eight-year-old by a priest.
Slattery’s death was announced on Tuesday by his partner of 40 years, Mark Michael Hutchinson – following a heart attack suffered on Sunday night.
Slattery starred alongside the likes of Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in an award-winning 1981 Cambridge Footlights show, before going on to feature on other comedy programmes such as Have I Got News For You and Just A Minute.
But he also struggled with his mental health, suffering a breakdown in 1996 and going bankrupt as he struggled with drink and drug abuse.
Tony Slattery, who has died aged 65, had spoken out about his struggles with bipolar, drink and drugs addiction and bankruptcy
He opened up on his health difficulties during this May 2019 interview on ITV’s This Morning
His last public appearance was in an Instagram post on Christmas Day, wearing a festive scarf
The 2019 Guardian interview in which he suggested former friends had abandoned him told how he was due that summer to reunite with old Whose Line Is It Anyway? colleagues for an Edinburgh show.
Slattery joked: ‘So people can come to that and say, ‘F*** me, I thought he was dead’.’
He highlighted musician Richard Vranch as one of those from the Channel 4 programme who remained one of his closest friends, one of the ‘few’ to stick by him – while other celebrities and hangers on disappeared ‘when the money dried up, which was saddening’.
In 2020, Slattery told the Radio Times that his ‘fiscal illiteracy and general innumeracy’ and his ‘misplaced trust in people’ had led him to bankruptcy.
