The Shocking Death of Tommy Cooper: Ernie Wise Pays Tribute (1984)

On 15 April 1984, titan of British entertainment Tommy Cooper suffered a fatal heart attack during a segment on the London Weekend Television variety show Live from Her Majesty's. As the show was broadcast to the nation live, the audience of 12 million – as well as the production crew – initially believed the comedian and magician's collapse to be part of the act, and laughed along. The show then continued to its end, with the following acts performing in front of the curtains while attempts were made to revive Cooper backstage. It was not until the following morning that Cooper's death was reported, although the onstage incident led the Late News programme that followed the show.

The next day, Ernie Wise appeared on the News at One to pay tribute to his longtime friend and colleague. One half of the iconic Morecambe and Wise duo, Wise and his partner Eric Morecambe had come up through the post-war music hall entertainment scene alongside Cooper. "He was an actual funny man... when you were with him, you were laughing all the time."

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