Comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died at the age of 65 from a heart attack, his partner has announced.
Slattery was best known for his appearances on Channel 4’s improvised comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? as well as on popular panel programs like Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.
In a statement on behalf of Slattery’s partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson, it was confirmed: “It is with tremendous sadness that we must announce the passing of actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65. He died this Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack on Sunday evening.”
Born in 1959, Slattery studied at the University of Cambridge alongside peers Dame Emma Thompson, Sir Stephen Fry, and Hugh Laurie. During his time there, he served as president of the renowned Cambridge Footlights improvisation group.
Slattery was open about his struggles with bipolar disorder and revealed in 2020 that he had gone bankrupt after facing substance abuse and mental health challenges. He told the Radio Times that his financial difficulties were also caused by his “fiscal illiteracy and general innumeracy” as well as “misplaced trust in people.”