Barry Humphries has died aged 89 after "serious" complications surrounding hip replacement surgery, it has been announced.
The star, known for his alter-ego Dame Edna Everage, was rushed to St Vincent's hospital in Sydney after falling ill this week.
Tributes to the late comedian have already started to pour in following the sad news, with many concerned for his health following his urgent hospitalisation.
The Mirror reports that the sad news comes after the comedian, who also played alter-ego Sir Les Patterson, was taken into hospital in a serious condition following complications from a hip replacement.
Paying tribute to the star, the Prime Minister for Australia Anthony Albanese tweeted: "For 89 years, Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone. But the brightest star in that galaxy was always Barry. A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift. May he rest in peace."
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford told Australia's Sunrise programme things were "tough" for the satirist.
He said: "I am told Barry's health has worsened in the last week."
Ford added: "There are very serious concerns about what happens next … it is a very tough time at the moment.
"But he's got great care, he's got fantastic medical team behind him. His family and friends – closest family – are rallying behind him."
The sad news comes after Barry's wife Lizzie Spender told the Sunday Morning Herald earlier this week that the star was "fine".
The comedian was best known for writing and portraying his on-stage characters Dame Edna and Sir Les – with Dame Edna appearing on Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, Loose Women, The One Show, The Graham Norton Show, as well as TV shows and stages across the world.
Dame Edna, who was invented by Barry in the 1950s as a party trick, even penned an autobiography titled My Gorgeous Life, which documented the character's backstory.
As well as the iconic character of Dame Edna – which was easily recognised by her cat eye glasses and lilac-coloured hair – Barry created and portrayed Sir Les Patterson, who was Dame Edna's exact opposite.
Sir Les appeared on Parkinson, on Dame Edna's TV shows and on stage. In 1987, a feature-length film called Les Patterson Saves the World was starred the character.
The comedian was married four times and has four children – Tessa, Emily, Oscar and Rupert – from his second and third marriages.
He married Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Spender, the daughter of poet Sir Stephen Spender, in 1990.
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