I was deeply saddened to read news that Jeremy Beadle has died aged 59. For people in the UK, Jeremy Beadle was one of the most well-known entertainers around. He succumbed after a short battle with pneumonia.

Jeremy Beadle was one of those entertainers who many of us grew up with. It’s a great shame to see him go. His efforts for charity are said to have raised more than £100 million. The news of his death has really hit home back in the UK.

From the BBC:

The death of Jeremy Beadle features on several front pages of the newspapers.

His death prompts the Sun’s headline: “Beadle’s Not About”, while the Mirror hails him as a television legend and the “King of Pranks”.

The Times sums him up aptly:

Whether fear, pragmatism or cynicism led him to flee the limelight, it is almost certain that this erudite man with a jackdaw’s mind for dates and facts had more to offer than television encouraged him to give.

A sad loss.