Northern Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket has died at the age of 80, his family has announced.
The TV star – who was known for his clean and family-friendly brand of comedy – fronted his own programme And There’s More in the late 1980s, and appeared in several Royal Variety shows. He also hosted a comedy series, Jimmy’s Cricket Team, on Radio 2 in the 1990s.
In a statement shared on social media on Monday (3 August), Cricket’s family said he died “this morning after a short illness” and “spent his last few days surrounded by his family, love, laughter and songs”.
They continued: “Jimmy brought so much laughter and happiness to countless audiences in his career over the years. Whether on stage, screen or radio, or if you met him in person as well.
“But that was nothing to the happiness he gave to his family. A devoted husband to May for fifty-two years. A wonderful dad to his four children and very silly grandad indeed to his four grandchildren.
“He was our greatest champion and loved us all loudly. He also just loved people and he absolutely loved being a stand up comedian. What a life he lived.”
Cricket’s family added that “he was cracking jokes to the wonderful NHS staff and to us all, right until the end”.
“His courage, dignity and positivity through all he endured was inspirational,” they said. “A force for joy, we are just all very sad that the world is a far less sillier place today.
“We were going to end by using his famous catchphrase and say, ‘There’s no More.’ But Jimmy was a man of great faith and a Papal Knight of the Catholic Church. He believed that death is not the end and was looking forward to eternity, so really… And there’s more.”
Cricket was awarded a papal knighthood for his charity work in 2015.
During his decades-spanning career, Cricket also appeared on Bullseye and The Good Old Days, and was celebrated in a 1987 episode of This Is Your Life.
In 2007, he was one of the performers who popped up in Peter Kay and Matt Lucas’s Comic Relief cover of The Proclaimers’ hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)”.
Cricket continued working well into his later years and in a previous update on his official website, said he hoped to be back on stage this December.
Fans have shared their condolences on Facebook, with one writing: “Such a funny, generous, lovely man – he will be sorely missed.”
“What an amazing man he was. So funny and gave so much back, a true legend,” said another.
