UK star, best known as part of TV comedy trio The Goodies, has died from coronavirus at age 79

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Tributes have been paid to Tim Brooke-Taylor, a much-admired fixture of British comedy for five decades who became a household name as one third of The Goodies, who has died aged 79.

In a statement, his agent said on Sunday: “It is with great sadness that we announce Tim’s death early today from Covid-19.”

His fellow Goodie Graeme Garden was “terribly saddened” by the loss of someone who had been a close colleague and friend for more than 50 years.

He said: “Tim and I met at Cambridge University in the early 1960s and have enjoyed working together almost constantly from that time onwards, on radio, stage and TV.

“He was a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with. Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable. His loss at this dreadful time is particularly hard to bear, and my thoughts are with Christine, Ben, Edward and their families.”

Bill Oddie, the third Goodie, tweeted: “Fifty years and he only got cross with me once ... well maybe twice ... no quite a lot actually! No one could wear silly costumes or do dangerous stunts like Tim. I know it hurt cos he used to cry a lot. Sorry Timbo. A true visual comic and a great friend x.”

Stephen Fry, the comedian and presenter, called Brooke-Taylor “a hero for as long as I can remember” and someone who was “gentle, kind, funny, wise, warm, but piercingly witty when he chose to be”, while the comic and children’s writer David Walliams talked about his childhood obsession with The Goodies. “I queued up to get The Goodies’ autographs as a grown-up, and got to meet Tim Brooke-Taylor more recently at a party. I was in total awe, but he was so kind and generous. It is so sad he is gone.”

Brooke-Taylor, born in Buxton, Derbyshire, had been part of British comedy since he was an active member of the Cambridge Footlights with John Cleese in the early 1960s. He was president for its hugely successful 1963 revue, A Clump of Plinths, which spawned the pun-filled radio show I’m Sorry, I’ll Read that Again.

In the 1960s, Brooke-Taylor worked on television shows, including the consumer affairs magazine On the Braden Beat, and helped create the surreal groundbreaking sketch series At Last the 1948 Show.

Brooke-Taylor, Garden and Oddie became comedy superstars in the 1970s with their surreal show The Goodies, in which Brooke-Taylor played a patriotic, union jack waistcoat-wearing establishment figure.

In 1972, along with Garden, he was an original panellist on Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, a role he maintained for the rest of his life.

Rory Bremner, the impressionist, wrote that Brooke-Taylor’s modesty “belied a huge legacy in British comedy”. He said: “I queued as a schoolboy in Edinburgh to get my Goodies album signed, and can’t believe 40-odd years later we were doing Clue together in January.”

The comedian David Mitchell, another Footlights president, said the world had been “robbed” of a talented performer. He tweeted: “He was a wonderful comedian and a really lovely man and I feel honoured to have known and worked with him.”

The comic Rob Brydon tweeted: “A wonderful man, so many happy times sat next to him on I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.”

Quick guide What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms in the UK Show Hide Symptoms are defined by the NHS as either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you've started coughing repeatedly NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home. After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine. But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days. If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days. If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible. After 7 days, if you no longer have a high temperature you can return to your normal routine. If you still have a high temperature, stay at home until your temperature returns to normal. If you still have a cough after 7 days, but your temperature is normal, you do not need to continue staying at home. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

Staying at home means you should: not go to work, school or public areas

not use public transport or taxis

not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home

not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home You can use your garden, if you have one. You can also leave the house to exercise – but stay at least 2 metres away from other people. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, use the NHS 111 coronavirus service to find out what to do. Source: NHS England on 23 March 2020

The comedian Ross Noble tweeted: “So sorry to hear that Tim Brooke-Taylor has passed away. He was such a lovely funny man. I watched him as a kid and it was always a thrill to work with him.”

Jack Dee, who now hosts I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, said it was devastating to hear Brooke-Taylor had succumbed to the virus, “especially when we all thought he was recovering”.

He added: “Tim was a delightful man and never anything but great company. It has always been one of the great joys of my career to work with someone who was part of the comedy landscape of my childhood. I can’t bear the thought of introducing I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue without being able to say ‘And on my right, Tim Brooke-Taylor … ’”

Brooke-Taylor’s great comedy gift, said Dee, was “playing the injured innocent and he did it with brilliance and a characteristic lightness of touch”.

Sioned Wiliam, Radio 4’s commissioning editor for comedy, said Brooke-Taylor was “charming, quick-witted and a hugely skilful comic. He was much-loved both by our listeners and by his colleagues, and he will be sorely missed by all at Radio 4.”