R.I.P.. It was a formula that made him one of Britain's best-known stars, an old-fashioned showman who could turn his hand to almost anything - fronting his variety programme, hosting chat shows or presiding over the quiz Countdown. O'Connor also had four daughters, Karin, TJ, Samantha and Kristina from his previous marriages. His singing ability was often parodied on The Morecambe & Wise Show, with O'Connor taking part in the sketches. They featured comedian Russ Abbot as a fisherman sitting by a lake contentedly smoking a cigar and with great satisfaction lowering a Des OConnor Album into the lake off his rod, to drive all the fish to jump out of the water into his net. His father was of Irish Catholic descent and his mother was Jewish, and he joked that he was the first OConnor to have a bar mitzvah. O'Connor appeared on stages around the world and performed hundreds of shows at the London Palladium. "He was a joy to work with - he was talented, fun, positive, enthusiastic, kind and a total professional. Tributes have poured in following the news that entertainer, TV presenter and singer Des O'Connor has died at the age of 88. T. his is the first picture of a senior Met officer who told Des O'Connor's daughter she was "amazingly hot" heaping further pressure on . Adam O'Connor born 2004, age 16 Her Other Children Des O'Connor CBE Bio Details Full name Desmond Bernard O'Connor Gender Male Age 88 Date of birth Tuesday 12 Jan 1932 Birth place Stepney, London, England, UK Date of death: 14 Nov 2020 Occupations Butlin's Redcoat TV Presenter RAF Writer Talkshow Host Singer & Recording Artist (1967) Is climate change killing Australian wine? Des O'Connor, pictured in 2011, was described by his long-time agent as the "ultimate entertainer". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. "Des was the king of telly really for so many years," she told BBC Breakfast, reflecting on her TV viewing habits as a youngster. O'Connor also had four daughters, Karin, TJ . The comedian, singer and TV host died on Saturday following a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire just over a week ago. Des is survived by wife Jodie Brooke Wilson and five children. Des O'Connor dead aged 88 - The Sun Des O'Connor Dies Aged 88 - UNILAD Jodies world is shattered, she and Adam and Dess daughters are hurting more than you could possibly imagine, said the entertainers manager in a statement. Entertainer Des O'Connor has died at the age of 88, his agent has confirmed. Des O'Connor Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Another part of my childhood telly viewing gone. Des O'Connor, who has died at the age of 88, was an . Read about our approach to external linking. He was the last of those talented all-round entertainers from a different era, who rose from treading the boards at seedy variety venues all around the country as a comedian and singer before moving into television in the early days of ITV, when the light entertainment TV shows were hugely popular on both BBC and ITV. Who is Des O'Connor's wife, Jodie Brooke Wilson? | The Sun Des O'Connor dead | Comedian and presenter dies aged 88 | Radio Times It led to live appearances in Las Vegas. Few could match his popularity on television and it is incredible to remember that from 1963 to 2002 he hosted his own peak time TV show on either the BBC or ITV, followed by Today with Des and Mel from 2002 to 2006, whilst also hosting the hugely successful Countdown from 2007-2008. Parkinsons UKs chief executive Steve Ford said: The news that Des OConnor lived with Parkinsons for a number of years before his death, will no doubt inspire members of the Parkinsons community. at the Veterans Cemetery, 34024 Veterans Memorial Drive, Adel, IA 50003. It began on BBC Two where it ran for five years before switching to ITV, eventually ending in 2002 after nearly 26 years on air. Mom Accused of Hosting Teen Sex Parties 'Tore my Life Apart - People He is survived by his wife Jodie, their son Adam and his four daughters, Karin, TJ, Samantha and Kristina. The baby weighed 8 lbs (22nd September 2004). Away from the stage, he was a keen racegoer as befitted a man who once held an amateur jockey licence and, for a time, owned a number of racehorses. Lovely, wonderful Des.". These years I will never forget and nor will I forget him. Our thoughts are with all who knew Des.". In 2007, he married long-term girlfriend Jodie Brooke Wilson, who was 37 years his junior and gave birth to their son Adam when O'Connor was 72. Des O'Connor had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease prior to his death, his wife Jodie Brooke Wilson revealed. COPYRIGHT 2023. Singer Kim Wilde, who performed alongside O'Connor, thanked him for the good times. Des was born in Stepney, East London, England on January 12, 1932. Five of those albums managed to rank in the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A comedian, presenter, chat show host and singer, O'Connor's enjoyed an incredible career on the stage and screen that spanned more than 45 years. [citation needed], In May 2012, O'Connor replaced Russell Grant in the West End musical, The Wizard of Oz, at the London Palladium, as Professor Marvel, Doorman at the Emerald City, Tour Guide, and The Wizard. Then in 1980 I set up my office in space within London Management the biggest Agency in London that represented almost all the big names in light entertainment, theatre and film. Read about our approach to external linking. To view this content choose accept and continue. I asked him if his weekend had been good and he responded with a long face to tell me that he had broken his rule of a lifetime and had actually taken a business call on a Sunday, something he would never normally do, but he said it was for an important client and had to be done. Ant and Dec have paid tribute to the much-loved comedian, singer and TV host Des O'Connor. Des OConnor 's heartbreaking last pictures shows him waving to his daughter through a window as he shielded during the coronavirus outbreak. He kicked off his showbiz career appearing in variety theatres across the country, but got his big TV break in the late 1950s as a presenter for ITVs Spot The Tune. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Photo of Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8. As he was pulling an astonishing 20 million viewers then, this was a huge boost for the popularity of the Fureys, for which we were very grateful. The team produced hit songs "Let's Do It Again", "Start Singing A Song", "Yes! He met his first wife Phyllis Gill while working as a Redcoat at Butlin's in 1953, He had a string of hit singles including a UK No 1, He wrote many of the insults hurled at him by Morecambe and Wise, Jay Leno was one of many international stars who appeared on his chat shows, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. We have estimated Des O'Connor's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. 22 Tributes today flooded in for Des O'Connor, pictured here with his previous co-host Mel Skyes 22 The venues they visited were (in chronological order), the Southampton Mayflower Theatre, Leeds Grand Theatre, Southend Cliffs Pavilion, Bristol Hippodrome, Bournemouth International Centre, and Milton Keynes Theatre. Another former co-host Melanie Sykes posted on Instagram that he had "the softest hands of anyone I ever met and the kindest of hearts". Des O'Connor obituary: TV's singing, self - The Irish Times Adam O'Connor, Samantha O'Connor, Karen O'Connor, Tracy O'Connor, Rufer O'Connor: . The star died on Saturday, according to his long-time agent and family friend, Pat Lake-Smith. O'Connor, who has died aged 88 after a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire, also carved out a successful career as a singer including four Top 10 hits and more than 30 albums. Desmond Bernard Des O'Connor, CBE (born 12 January 1932) was an English comedian, broadcaster and singer. She said: "He was a joy to work with - he was talented, fun, positive, enthusiastic, kind and a total professional. A stylish new drama directed by Lena Dunham, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Photo of Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8. (Feb 6, 2020) Photo Flash: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Celebrates West End Opening at Savoy Theatre. [citation needed] He toured with Buddy Holly (during Holly's 1958 stay in the UK)[15] and Jason Donovan. "He was recovering well and had been in great spirits, visited by his family in accordance with hospital lockdown regulations and looking forward to going home. Doctors had called Wilson to get to the hospital as OConnors condition was getting worse, with Wilson at home in Buckinghamshire awaiting the results of a Covid test for her son Adam after an outbreak of the virus at his performing arts school. He later hosted the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown alongside Carol Vorderman, with the pair bowing out together in 2008, and was made a CBE for his services to entertainment and broadcasting in that year's birthday honours. They said in a statement: "It is with great sorrow that I confirm that Des O'Connor passed away yesterday ). 'Ultimate entertainer' Des O'Connor dies aged 88, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. ", Celeb obsessed? He didnt want people to feel sorry for him and for it to be what they first thought about when they saw him. Something went wrong, please try again later. Tributes today flooded in to remember the legendary TV star and former host of Countdown. "We are very sorry to hear of the passing of Des O'Connor," a Twitter post on the club's page said. OConnor only told immediate family including his wife, their 16-year-old son Adam and his four grown-up daughters, Karin, TJ, Samantha and Kristina from previous relationships about his illness. The veteran entertainer enjoyed six decades in the world of entertainment, and made a name for himself on both sides of the Atlantic. When the show was first filmed in colour in 1970, ATV did a deal for it to be shown on network television in the US bringing O'Connor to a whole new audience. Writer. I came up with a script that Des loved, in which we set up a replica lakeside scene with a stunt man, who had actually been one of the Mini drivers on the Italian Job, dressed as a look-alike Russ Abbot fisherman as in the cigar commercial. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.