What Line Is It Anyway? star Tony Slattery dead at 65
Tony Slattery has died following a heart attack at the age of 65.
Tony Slattery has died at the age of 65, after suffering a heart attack.
The legendary ‘90s improv comedian and actor - who was best known for appearing on comedy shows including 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', 'Just A Minute' and 'Have I Got News For You' - passed away on Tuesday (14.01.25) morning, following a heart attack on Sunday (12.01.25) evening, his longtime partner Mark Michael Hutchinson confirmed.
A statement on his behalf read: “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.”
The actor’s passing comes just a few months after he completed a comedy tour of England and launched the ‘Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club’ podcast.
Slattery attended Cambridge University and was a member of the famous Footlights drama club along with famous actors Hugh Laurie and Dame Emma Thompson.
The comedian was open about his battle with Bipolar Disorder and addiction that led to periods living as a recluse.
In the 2006 documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’, which he filmed with his comedian pal Stephen Fry, Slattery recalled his time living in a warehouse in London and how he threw his furniture into the River Thames.
He went on to release the BBC Two documentary ‘What's the Matter with Tony Slattery?’ in 2020 about how “overworking, alcohol and substance abuse” lead to his breakdown in 1996, at the age of 36, and his decision to flee the spotlight.
The breakdown came after he lived by a daily diet of two bottles of vodka and 10g of cocaine.
However, Slattery insisted his substance abuse wasn’t the cause of his manic behaviour, noting how each time he went out onstage, he would feel like “a match carelessly tossed into a bunch of fireworks”.
He told the Guardian newspaper in 2019: “The manic part of me was not because of the drugs and alcohol. I think it was there already. But the drugs and alcohol certainly ignited it.”
Slattery admitted money fears plagued him for years due to his working-class background.
Asked if his inability to say no to jobs was part of his bipolarity, he replied: “Yes, and also I was worried, because I wasn’t born into money, so I didn’t want to lose it. But I lost the plot and the money.”
Slattery was thankful to his partner of 39 years for standing by him through the highs and lows.
He said: “He’s kept with me when my behaviour has been so unreasonable and I can only think it’s unconditional love. He’s certainly not with me for my money – we don’t have any money. It’s the mystery of love. I’m sorry – it makes me very emotional.”
His prolific TV career also saw Slattery play D.I. Alan Hayes in series seven of hit BBC drama 'Bad Girls' and Eric Talford on soap opera 'Coronation Street' in 2005.
A year later, he appeared in 'Grumpy Old Men' on BBC Two.
In 2011, Slattery starred in a reunion special of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' along with David Walliams, Josie Lawrence, Clive Anderson, Humphrey Ker and Neil Mullarkey for the BBC Comic Relief show '24-Hour Panel People'.
