“I have lost a handsome sister and the world has lost an unbelievable talent”.
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Sue Johnston, who played Barbara – the mother of Aherne’s character Denise – in The Royle Family, said: “I am devastated at her passing and I am numb with grief”.
John Thompson started out in comedy with Aherne under the name the Mitzi Goldberg Experience and they later starred in The Fast Show together.
From 1994 to 1997, Aherne appeared as one of the central cast members on the BBC comedy sketch program The Fast Show.
Ralf Little, who played her brother Anthony in The Royle Family, tweeted: ‘I. just don’t know what to say.
Its success quickly began to obscure exactly how daring the format had been at the beginning – 25 minutes of comedy based largely in one working class living room.
Shattered friends and family of Caroline Aherne continue to pay tribute to the comedy trailblazer after her untimely death from cancer at the weekend. The series won best comedy Bafta awards in 2000 and 2007.
Steve Coogan, a close friend of Caroline, wrote a touching tribute to the comedian in British newspaper The Guardian on Saturday, and said poignantly, “I loved her”. “You’ve been recast”, he said.
Our thoughts and hearts are with Caroline Aherne’s family during this hard time.
“Caroline Aherne has sadly passed away, after a fearless battle with cancer”, said publicist Neil Reading. Merton first transferred to TV on Granada’s Upfront discussion show, and she also made appearances on The Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer.
Friends and fellow entertainers have spoken on social media of their shock at her death.
“What a voice, what a mind, what a woman”.
“Although I was on morphine, so maybe it was just me laughing”.
British television star Caroline Aherne. “I’ll miss her silliness, her intelligence, her laughter and her joy”, he added. She thinks I’m her dad!’ Even though I’m taking the cataract out of your eye, I’m leaving the twinkle in. “I’ll miss her. We lost one of the good ones”.
She died at her home in Timperley, Greater Manchester on 2 July.
He continued: “She never talked about her health, ever”.
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Caroline and her brother Patrick were both born with retina cancer and she later suffered from the disease in her bladder and her lungs. A true comedy genius, her work was equally amusing & touching”, while Matt Lucas wrote: “Caroline Aherne moved television comedy on to a new place.
