Late comedian Tony Slattery, famed for his work on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, spoke candidly about his death years before he died aged 65 following a heart attack
Tony Slattery spoke candidly about his death and drug addiction years before he died.
The beloved comedian has died aged 65 from a heart attack. His partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, confirmed the news on Tuesday (January 14), writing: "It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening."
Tony was famed for his appearances on Channel 4's Whose Line Is It Anyway? and shows such as the BBC's Have I Got News For You. He also acted in Red Dwarf and films such as The Crying Game and Peter's Friend.
But years before he passed, Tony discussed his death and admitted that if it weren't for the support of his partner of 40 years during his dark times, he'd be "dead". He gushed over Mark during an appearance on ITV's This Morning in 2019.
He said: "I met him in a musical, Me and My Girl, we were both very shy and didn't speak to each for six months. Our eyes lingered just a bit too long [on one occasion] - without him I’d be dead no question about that!".
Tony shot to fame in the late eighties struggled with drug addiction in the nineties. He started taking the Class A drug in the early nineties and at one point was using 10 grams of cocaine a day - and drinking two bottles of vodka.
It was reported he was spending £4,000 a week on cocaine at his lowest point. Tony confessed that though he doesn't recall the exact sum he spent, he "would not be surprised" if such a figure were accurate.
Speaking on This Morning about his substance battles, he said: "The overwork, no holidays, no taking a break, eventually you snap, you try to replace it with something. In my case, it was cocaine. Then the booze came along, then the depression set in... I was drinking two bottles of vodka a day and doing 10 grams of coke."
Tony stopped taking cocaine and insisted the drug isn't worth it, adding: "It's not fun, I wouldn’t recommend it, the devil's dandruff, it heightens makes you uninterruptible, irrational, disinterested".
The comic was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after meeting with a psychiatrist. He said: "The isolation that comes with bipolarity and depression, you alienate people. They want to like you and love you, if you don't answer messages that's all they can do".
Tony also suggested he might not make it to 60 but hoped he would during an interview with The Guardian in 2019, just a few months before he did reach that age. Smiling, he said: "A lot can happen between now and then".
The beloved TV star opened up about his horrific childhood abuse and mental health struggles in the one-hour BBC Two documentary, What's The Matter With Tony Slattery?. In it, he discussed his struggles with an addiction pscyhiatrist.
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