Barry Humphries’ Death: Legendary Dame Edna Everage Comedian Was 89

Barry Humphries, the Australian-born comedian, actor and satirist who was best known for his TV Drag persona, Dame Edna Everage, has died. He was 89 years old.

The news of his death was confirmed in a tweet by Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who called Humphries “the brightest star” in the galaxy of his great characters.

Humphries embodied Dame Edna for nearly seven decades in numerous TV series and specials in the United States, Australia, Britain and beyond. In the U.S., the character starred in her own mock talk show, Dame Edna’s Hollywood. The NBC series’ three episodes spanned from 1991-1993. She appeared in other TV series including Dame Edna’s Neighborhood Watch, Saturday Night Live, Ally McBeal and The Life and Death of Sandy Stone. 

Humphries’ Dame Edna was so ubiquitous that she appeared as a guest on numerous daytime and late night talk shows. She appeared in six episodes of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno from 2001-11 and visited The View in 2004 and 2010. In 2005, she appeared on Live With Regis and Kelly and The Tony Danza Show. Three years later she was a guest on The Graham Norton Show and in 2009, she visited The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.

In addition to Dame Edna, Humphris was known for playing Sir Les Patterson, a man who served as Dame Edna’s opposite.