21 February 2024 , 10:52
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The British comedy world is mourning the loss of The Office star Ewen MacIntosh, who passed away at the age of 50.
The late actor was best known for his role as Keith Bishop, a quirky character in the UK edition of the show, which famously saw him dress up as Ali G for one of the BBC comedy's most memorable scenes. Ricky Gervais, who co-created The Office with Stephen Merchant, was one of the first to pay tribute to Ewen as the news of his death broke on Wednesday morning.
His management company confirmed the sad news, saying: "With great sadness we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved comedy genius Ewen MacIntosh. His family thank everyone who supported him, particularly the team at Willow Green Care Home. A private cremation will take place soon for family and close friends, with a celebratory memorial taking place later in the year."
Tributes have been pouring in for Ewen MacIntosh following his death at the age of 50 (Getty Images)
The Office actor shared this worrying picture with fans two years ago (@ewenmacIntosh/Twitter)Hospital stay
The exact details of Ewen's death haven't yet been released, but the comedic actor sparked concern in February 2022 when he shared a picture of himself in hospital with his Twitter (X) followers. Captioning the snap of himself with what appeared to be ECG stickers attached to his chest, Ewen wrote: "Bad times for me I'm afraid chums. Stat strong out there [thumbs up emoji]."
"Wishing you a speedy recovery mate, hope you're ok," actor Jamie Hogarth told Ewen two years ago, with a fan of the late actor adding: "Get well soon. You came up in conversation on Friday evening. Your self-appraisal is arguably the greatest scene of the greatest episode of the greatest comedy (maybe even tv show) of all time."
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Ewen offered no further updates on his health following his hospital selfie in February 2022, instead keeping his followers updated on his success with completing New York Times' daily Wordle puzzle and sharing links to his Cameo, Celebrity Video Messages and Memmo profiles. Ewen recently paused his accounts on the personalised video messaging service, with his highly-rated profile on Memmo now stating: "You cannot book Ewen MacIntosh right now. Come back later!"
Tributes
Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office, expressed his sorrow on X, formerly Twitter, after hearing about the loss. He posted: "Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as 'Big Keith' from The Office, has passed away. An absolute original. RIP."
Ewen's friend Ed Scott also paid respects, tweeting: "I am completely devastated by the loss of my very good friend Ewen MacIntosh. He may have had a famous face known by millions as Keith from The Office but the person inside is what I will most remember." Rufus Jones wrote: "Thinking of Ewen Macintosh today, who I’m reading has sadly left us. A familiar and hilarious member of the Edinburgh sketch scene when we all started, and went on to create one of the most iconic scene stealers in tv comedy history. An absolute pleasure of a guy."
Mr Scott, boss of Dodged A Bullet Music, said: "Ewen was so full of empathy, kindness, and integrity and above all a really good man. "Sending love to his parents Sara and Ewen Sr, his brother Colin and his family, as well as his many friends and fans." A fan of Ewen's told their Twitter followers: "Very sad news about Ewen MacIntosh. He and I crossed paths here, as he was a quiz enthusiast who would sometimes reply to puzzles I posted. In our brief interactions he seemed rather lovely, and I felt very excited that my puzzles had caught the attention of such a luminary."
The Gold comedy TV channel posted: "We at GOLD are saddened to hear that Ewen MacIntosh has passed away at the age of 50. We loved him as Keith in The Office and were lucky enough to work with him over the years on the channel. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at such a difficult time."