Satirist John Clarke, of Clarke and Dawe fame, dies aged 68

Updated

Celebrated satirist and comedian John Clarke has died suddenly, aged 68.

Clarke died from natural causes while bushwalking in Victoria over the weekend.

"John died doing one of the things he loved the most in the world, taking photos of birds in beautiful bushland with his wife and friends. He is forever in our hearts," his family said in a statement issued by the ABC.

"We are aware of what he has meant to so many for so many years, throughout the world but especially in Australia and New Zealand.

"We are very grateful for all expressions of sympathy and love which John would have greatly appreciated."

Clarke was born in New Zealand but made his name as a comedian and political satirist in Australia after arriving in the 1970s.

For 27 years, he appeared on Australian television conducting mock interviews and skewering politicians with his comedy partner, Bryan Dawe.

The pair was best known for the Clarke and Dawe sketches that appeared on ABC TV and, earlier, on Channel Nine's A Current Affair.

Clarke was a man of diverse talents — a comedian, actor and writer of television, film and stage musicals.

He came to attention in his native New Zealand in the 1970s when he created the iconic character, Fred Dagg, a country bloke dressed in a black singlet, shorts and gumboots.

He co-wrote the multi-award winning mockumentary The Games, about the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, which aired in 1999 and 2000.

He also co-wrote stage musicals The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom.

His books included A Dagg at My Table, The Howard Miracle and The 7.56 Report.

Clarke is survived by his wife Helen, children Lorin and Lucia, grandchildren Claudia and Charles and son-in-law Stewart Thorn.

Clarke remembered as 'more than a satirist'

Politicians, sportspeople and members of the public have used social media to pay tribute to his contribution to Australia.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, an occasional target of Clarke and Dawe, said Clarke was "more than a satirist", who was to be celebrated for his "canny knack of saying just enough to hit the target, and no more".

"His satire served a noble purpose. It spoke truth to power. It made our democracy richer and stronger. It kept politicians on their toes," Mr Turnbull said.

"And best of all it made us laugh along the way. We'll wait a long time to find another John Clarke. In fact, we never will."

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Clarke was the "sharpest, driest wit on Aussie TV", and Greens leader Richard Di Natale called him a leading light of satire.

In his native New Zealand, Prime Minister Bill English tweeted his sorrow at the loss.

"Sad to hear of the death of John Clarke, aka Fred Dagg. His humour captured the experience of life in NZ and Australia," he said.

Comedian and ABC Radio Sydney presenter Wendy Harmer said Clarke was hugely influential in introducing comedy to Australian television.

"Back in mid 80s there was a very big scene in the comedy clubs in Melbourne … but none of this vibrancy had really made it to television," Harmer said.

"So John went to the then-Australian Film Commission and gathered some seeding money … and started getting a whole lot of comedians together to see what they could come up with."

Harmer said that was the beginning of TV sketch comedy The Eleventh Hour, which led to Fast Forward and the Comedy Company, shows which featured the likes of Eric Bana, Gina Riley and Magda Szubanski.

"He was a staunch advocate and mentor for so many in the comedy industry over so many years," Harmer said.

Actor Gina Riley, who starred with Clarke in the series The Games, said you knew when he walked on the set "the party was about to begin".

"There are so many bloopers and out takes in The Games as I found it hard to act with John because there was always a twinkle in his eye and he would make me laugh during almost every scene we had together," she said.

"Knowing and working with John was a masterclass in not only how to be funny but how to be a great human being."

Actor Max Gillies said Clarke was the "perfect comedian's comedian".

"Politicians go on about Australian values. Australian families. ANZAC values. Well John, represented the best of them," he said.

"Whatever they are. He was every man. And we miss him and it makes no sense that he would be taken so quickly."

New Zealand film director and actor Taika Waititi called Clarke the "Phar Lap of comedy".

"John Clarke spent most of his career in Australia. Now we'll claim him back," he tweeted.

"[He was] hugely influential to me and my mates, he was one of the fathers of NZ's style of comedy. We all copied him at some point."

ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie said the unexpected loss would be felt by everyone at the ABC, and by audiences across Australia who had come to love his biting sense of humour.

"Australian audiences have relied on John Clarke for always getting to the heart of how many Australians felt about the politics of the day and tearing down the hypocrisy and at times absurdity of elements of our national debate," she said.

Clarke had 'time for everybody'

Staff at ABC Melbourne, where Clarke would record his weekly two minute segments with Bryan Dawe, remembered a "lovely man" who always stopped to chat.

Former ABC US correspondent Ben Knight began producing Clarke and Dawe this year, a job he called "hardly a labour".

"He will get a lot of tributes for his brilliant satirical work; he and Bryan were a fantastic team together," Knight said.

"But he should also get a lot of tributes for just being one of the most wonderful human beings, I think, I have ever met."

RN presenter Jonathan Green said Clarke was a "tremendous exchanger of pleasantries".

"He was so careful with himself. He was such a beautifully crafted man," Green said.

"Everything he did he did with extraordinary intent, with great precision and fully confident that what he was doing was what he wanted to do and was as good as he could make it."

The host of ABC satirical news program The Weekly, Charlie Pickering, said Clarke set the bar for political comedy writing in Australia.

"John and I once talked about how writing a good comedy script was somewhere between poetry and physics. Whatever that middle ground is, John Clarke deserved the Nobel Prize," Pickering said.

Long-time fans took to social media to pay tribute to Clarke after news of his death.

Some posted photos of their gumboots along with the hashtag #putoutyourgumboots to honour his early character, Fred Dagg.

Topics: community-and-society, broadcasting, abc, comedy-humour, arts-and-entertainment, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

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