SYDNEY (Reuters) – Elton John, Rupert Murdoch and King Charles III paid tribute to Australian comedian Barry Humphries, whose character Dame Edna Everage earned him plaudits as one of the world’s funniest persons, at a memorial service in Sydney on Friday.
Thousands gathered at the Sydney Opera House on Friday to hear tributes to the famed comedian, who died aged 89 in April.
Humphries was “one of the funniest people in the world,” Elton John said in a video message which also praised his generosity and kindness.
“It is sad that we won’t be seeing him again but we have so many memories of him,” he said. “His books, his TV appearances, and the wonderful jokes and wonderful kindness that he showed to me and everyone.”
Humphries, born and raised in Melbourne, rose to fame in Britain in the 1970s playing a host of Australian caricatures including Dame Edna, repulsive drunk diplomat Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, a decrepit rambling senior.
In character as the snobbish Dame Edna, Humphries surprised then Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in their private box at the 2013 Royal Variety Performance show, only to leave moments later, saying she had been offered a better seat.
“I suspect that all those who appeared on stage or on TV with Barry’s Dame Edna, or who found her appearing at the back of the royal box, will have shared that unique sensation where fear and fun combined,” Charles said in a message read out by Employment Minister Tony Burke to laughter from the audience.
For media mogul Rupert Murdoch, another Australian who made his name and fortune overseas, Humphries’ character of Les Patterson was a “living lesson” in how not to behave, albeit one some ended up emulating.
“Your personal courage still resonates, your creativity still sparks ours, your intellect is still a beacon, you are a man of many parts and a part of many lives,” he said in a video message.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
