03 January 2023 , 11:57
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Comedian Kelly Monteith has died at the age of 80 as fans pay tribute to the ground-breaking comedian.
The American comedian was best known in the UK as one of the first to be given his own BBC series and his self-titled show ran from 1979 to 1984.
His death was confirmed by The Anglophlile Channel, a Los Angeles based production company that worked closely with Kelly.
"It is with great sadness that The Anglophile Channel announces the passing of our dearest friend and teammate, award-winning comedian/host, Kelly Monteith," the statement read.
"Kelly was an integral part of TAC having co-hosted Brit Flix with Kelly, Paul and Two-Buck Chuck and Kelly’s BBC Memories.
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"In 2015 Monteith and Paul Boland were awarded the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Television Anchor/Host by the Los Angeles Press Club.
Kelly Monteith pictured in 1980 (CBS via Getty Images)"After a few successful appearances on the Des O’Connor Show, Monteith starred in his own successful comedy series, 'Kelly Monteith', which ran on the BBC for six seasons.
"Monteith co-wrote his titular series with Neil Shand. Monteith was the one of the first American comedians to get his own show on the BBC.
"In America, Monteith starred in two series on CBS called, The Kelly Monteith Show and The Hit Squad.
"As Kelly often remarked, one of the highlights of his career was performing for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Il at the Royal Variety Performance in 1983.
"His time in England was incredibly special to Monteith. During his time there, he met his future wife Caroline. The couple have two children. Kelly will be deeply missed at The Anglophile Channel, in the world of comedy and by his family and friends alike."
American comedian Kelly Monteith performing at the Royal Variety Performance in 1983 (Getty Images)
Kelly Monteith in a promotional shot for The Kelly Monteith Show, a short-run television comedy variety program show on CBS in 1976 (CBS via Getty Images)Kelly was discovered in the early 1970s and performed as a guest comedian on NBC's The Tonight Show and the BBC's Des O'Connor Tonight.
After successful guest appearances on British talk shows, he was offered his own series by the BBC that ran for six series.
The comedian was ahead of his time as he became known for breaking the fourth wall by appearing in his dressing room before and after a scene.
Kelly suffered two strokes in Febraury 2021 and his ex-wife Caroline Alexander set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his rehabilitation and speech therapy while he recuperated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for two months.
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Comedy fans rushed to Twitter to share their memories of Kelly after the sad news of his death.
"Sad news about Kelly Monteith. Funny, personable & (like Dave Allen) way ahead of his time. Judging from the reaction on here he was a bigger influence than he ever knew," actor Sanjeev Kohli tweeted.
"Kelly Monteith has passed away! A few years ago I said in an interview that, along with Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper and my father, he was one of my favourite comedians. He heard about it, got in contact and thanked me. It's sad that many won't know of him," Comeidan Bennett Arron added.
"RIP Kelly Monteith. Prototype of Garry Shandling, Seinfeld, etc. and obviously influenced by George Carlin. Way ahead of his time but not seen as such because he made his innovation mainstream. Loved him as a kid,’ comedian Nick Pettigrew wrote.