Sir Ken Dodd: Comedy legend dies, aged 90

Sir Ken Dodd, the creator of the Diddy Men and one of the most popular comedians of his time, has died aged 90. Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd was an English comedian, singer-songwriter, and actor, identified by his unruly hair and protruding teeth, his red, white and blue "tickling stick" and his upbeat greeting of "How tickled I am!". Sir Dodd worked mainly in the music hall tradition, although he occasionally appeared in dramatic roles including Malvolio in William Shakespear's Twelfth Night on stage in Liverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987 Doctor Who story Delta and the Bannermen; and as Yorick  in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1996. In the 1960s his fame in the UK was such that he rivaled the Beatels as a household name, with his recording of "Tears" being the UK's third-best-selling single of the 1960s. His records have sold millions worldwide. He was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. He continued to tour the UK in 2018 with The Ken Dodd Happiness Show before pulling out of his tour due to health issues. The Liverpool legend had recently been released from the hospital after six weeks of treatment for a chest infection and celebrated 40 years of marriage life on Friday (March 09).

"To my mind, he was one of the last music hall greats." - His publicist, Robert Holmes

Sir Ken was famous for his very long stand-up shows - with which he was touring until last year - along with his Diddy Men and the tickling stick.

"He passed away in the home that he was born in over 90 years ago. He's never lived anywhere else. It's absolutely amazing." -  Robert Holmes