The Sydney hospital where Australian comedy star Barry Humphries is currently being treated has rubbished reports that the 89-year-old is in an "unresponsive" state, as they issued a fresh health update on how he is doing following surgery complications.
The Dame Edna star is currently receiving treatment at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where they have said multiple reports which were published on Thursday were incorrect and that Barry was in fact “stable” and “in the best hands”.
Barry, best known for his character Dame Edna Everage, is being treated at the hospital after suffering “health issues” following hip surgery last month as a result of a fall he had taken back in February.
According to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, he was readmitted after suffering complications when it was reported on Thursday by various media outlets following the news that Barry had gone into an “unresponsive state” and had been given morphine by doctors.
But a spokesperson for the hospital later told the PA news agency the reports were “not accurate”.
“Reports that he is unresponsive are not accurate,” a hospital spokesperson said.
“He remains stable in the hospital in the best hands.”
A family statement previously issued to the Sydney Morning Herald thanked fans and hospital staff for their “support and good wishes”.
They said: “Barry Humphries is currently in hospital receiving treatment for health issues. Barry would like to thank everybody for the support and good wishes he’s received, but would like more and more.
“He’d also like to thank the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at St Vincent’s Hospital."
While Barry is in good spirits and surrounded by friends and family, there are “serious concerns” about the entertainer’s health, less than a year away from his 90th birthday, according to reports from Sunrise Entertainment Editor Peter Ford.
“Things are tough. But Barry has a fighting spirit, and he won’t give up easily. [But] There are very serious concerns about what happens next … it is a very tough time at the moment,” he said.
Barry Humphries has been a staple of the British comedy circuit since the 1950s, appearing in West End shows such as Maggie May and Oliver!.
He was among the leading members of the British comedy scene, alongside Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Spike Milligan.
Alongside his Dame Edna Everage alter ego, he also appeared as the lecherous Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, an elderly, childless man living in the suburbs.
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