Actor and comedian Jon Gadsby has passed away in Christchurch.

Comedy legends McPhail and Gadsby were a duo until the end.

David McPhail visited his lifelong friend and creative partner Jon Gadsby almost every day in his final months, reading to him and watching old episodes of their television shows together.

Gadsby died in Christchurch on Saturday evening surrounded by family and loved ones after a battle with cancer.

FAIRFAX NZ Comedian Jon Gadsby pictured in 2006.

McPhail said he was "devastated" by the loss.

"I consider myself something of a stalwart, but I am not.



"It is very hard. All I can say is that I am very, very distressed."

The duo transformed New Zealand comedy over three decades with satirical show A Week of It in the 1970s, sketch show McPhail and Gadsby in the 80s and comedy series Letter to Blanchy in the 90s.

McPhail would visit Gadsby almost every day at a Christchurch hospice over his final months. He last saw him on Saturday morning.

About four days ago, McPhail visited Gadsby with actor Peter Rowley, a longtime friend and performer on A Week of It and McPhail and Gadsby. They watched an episode of Letter to Blanchy together.

Rowley said it was a beautiful moment.

"His head was bowed, but as soon as he heard the theme music his lead lifted up and his eyes widened and a wee smile came on his face. It was a beautiful thing."

"That memory will forever be in my mind until I pass."

McPhail said he worked with Gadsby for over 30 years because they could make each other laugh.



"What kept us together was that we amused each other," he said.

"I could make him laugh and he could make me laugh. We got a lot of pleasure out of making each other laugh."

He first met Gadsby at a party in Dunedin in the 1970s.

"We met at 9.30 in the evening and said goodbye to each other at 5am. We discovered we shared a great deal and a view of the world and had similar aspirations and ideas."

"We enjoyed each other's company immensely. You don't work that closely with someone for so long if you don't really enjoy their company."

McPhail said Gadsby helped invent television satire in New Zealand.

"He opened the door for a lot of comedians. There was nothing before us. The idea of doing impressions of public figures had never happened."

"We showed it was possible for New Zealanders to make television comedy and to gain and maintain an audience.'

He said his friend was funny and compassionate.

"He was a very good conversationalist. He was very warm and open. If you met him for the first time you would be dazzled by his company."

"As well as being very funny he was also a very compassionate man. That was a side of his personality that attracted me to him."

Rowley said Gadsby was a comedy trailblazer.



"He was a pioneer of satire in this country. They made it acceptable to laugh at ourselves. He was so clever."

"They really did make a huge difference to the general psyche of this country. Satire was dead in New Zealand and they put life into it in this country. That was very healthy."

John Blanchfield, who was an inspiration for Letter to Blanchy, has been friends with Gadsby since the 1970s

"I am a bit sad. 62 is a bit bloody young," he said.

"He was a good fella. He loved life."

Family friend Tracey Chambers said Gadsby's family was gathering in Christchurch to pay respect.

"This is a very, very close family and while everyone knew Jon was unwell it's always a shock when the inevitable happens," she said.

"He was a man of great talent, huge experience and had a great heart. At the moment this is a time for his family and close friends to come together and share their stories together.

READ MORE: Jon Gadsby's finest screen moments

"He was a great man, a great TV man and entertainer, he had a great ability to make people smile. He loved his family, all sitting around the table having a galss of wine and telling tales from his past . . . he loved having all the children around and liked being a part of things. This will be a huge loss to his sisters to whom he's very close, as well as for the rest of the family and his [two children]."

Comedians, politicians and television personalities have paid respect to Gadsby on social media.

On Twitter, TV personality Jason Gunn described Gadsby as "generous and genuine." Former Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Twitter that McPhail &Gadsby was one 'of the best Kiwi TV satirical series ever." Seven Days host Jeremy Corbett tweeted that he "grew up on A Week of It and McPhail & Gadsby" and said Gadsby as a "V funny man".

Christchurch comedian Cal Wilson also paid her respects. "Very sad to hear Jon Gadsby has died. Huge part of New Zealand's comedy landscape. Was so chuffed I got to play his kid in Letter to Blanchy." she wrote on Twitter.

In October it was announced that Gadsby was being treated for cancer.

Gadsby performed, wrote and produced television comedy for more than 30 years. He was also the founding editor of Christchurch's Avenues magazine.

In 1996, he won best comedy script with McPhail for an episode of Letter to Blanchy and was awarded a Queens Service Medal for services to broadcasting in 1992.

He received the public vote for best television entertainer at the 1982 Feltex Awards and has been nominated for Television Actor of the Year several times.