Ben Keaton, renowned for his highly-popular sitcom Father Ted, has passed away at the age of 69.
The Emmerdale star’s death was confirmed by The Irish Times with a death notice, saying he died "very suddenly" at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday last week.
The death notice read, "Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.”
"Best known for his roles in TV shows including Father Ted, Emmerdale, Casualty, The Bill, films including East is East etc. and Theatre performances in Animal Crackers, Harvey, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hay Fever, etc, a founder member of the improv group South Of The River, and a director of the Creative Academy, and more. Funeral arrangements to be announced later," the notice added.
Taking to Meta-owned Facebook, Ben Keaton’s ex-wife Polly expressed sorrow, writing, “"So incredibly sorry to say Ben Keaton died last night. It was very sudden and we are all in shock.”
A glimpse to Ben Keaton’s journey
The Irish actor had a phenomenal acting career spanning decades, kicking out in theatre ahead of stepping into comedy, television and film.
His first screen role was in the ITV police drama The Bill in 1989, and made several other appearances too.
In 2019, Radio Times named Father Ted as the second-greatest British comedy of all time.
During his career, Keaton was honored with several prestigious awards including the 1986 Perrier Comedy Award and two Best Actor accolades from the Manchester Evening News.
