BBC presenter Barry Fantoni dies at home aged 85 as Ian Hislop pays tribute to ‘brilliant writer, artist and musician’
BBC PRESENTER Barry Fantoni has died at home, with Ian Hislop paying tribute to a "brilliant writer, artist and musician".
Barry, who was also a revered cartoonist and script writer, died from a heart attack aged 85 on May 20, it has been confirmed.
The broadcaster, artist and jazz musician had been living in Turin, Italy and passed away at home.
In an emotional tribute to his late friend, Private Eye editor and Have I Got New For You star Ian Hislop described Barry as a "brilliant" and "multi-talented" writer, artist and musician.
He said: “Barry was a brilliant multi-talented writer, artist and musician.
"He was an integral part of Private Eye’s comic writing team from the early days in the sixties and I hugely enjoyed collaborating with him when I joined the magazine later on.
Read more on TV
"He created formats and characters and jokes that are still running and he was for a long time the voice of the great poet and obituarist E J Thribb. So farewell then Barry.”
Best known for his work at The Private Eye, Barry was also a diary cartoonist for and created caricatures for Radio Times.
Some of his better known cartoons include imitations of Sir Bruce Forsyth, former prime minister Harold Wilson, DJ Tony Blackburn and comedian Sir Ken Dodd.
He was born on February 28 1940 and studied at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts before moving to the Slade School of Fine Art.
Most read in News TV
Here he became engrossed in the 1960s pop art movement and started developing his passion for cartoons and caricatures.
He later started script writing for the BBC show, That Was the Week That Was, before launching himself into presenting with the music show, A Whole Scene Going.
In 2010 he retired from Private Eye after almost half a century working for the publication.
The following year he had his archive of 3,500 original Times cartoons auctioned at Bonhams for £4,200.
Speaking to the Independent about his departure, he said: “It was just time to leave. I’d done it. The establishment isn’t even worth puncturing any more.”
The revered star also took to novel-writing, producing two detective novels in the 1980s.
He leaves behind his partner Katie.
