(CNN) Veteran British comedian Ian Cognito died on stage Thursday evening during a stand-up performance.

The comic, who was in his early 60s, fell ill during the performance at the Atic bar in the English town of Bicester, 14 miles north of Oxford.

Paramedics were called to the venue just after 10 p.m. but Cognito was pronounced dead at the scene, the venue's owner, Ryan Mold, confirmed to CNN.

Veteran stand-up comedian Ian Cognito has died on-stage - literally. The audience thought it was part of the act. Died with his boots on. That's commitment to comedy. I'll never forget his kindness when I started out & how god damn funny he was. — Jimmy Carr (@jimmycarr) April 12, 2019

Mold, who was at the venue during the performance, told CNN that Cognito was on stage and "around halfway through his set" when he fell ill. "He sat down, put his head and arms back; his shoulders were twitching," he said.

Mold said the "audience thought it was part of his set," as Cognito had spoken about having a heart attack or a stroke only a few minutes earlier.

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