Those who were close to the late Barry Humphries said the legendary entertainer was cracking rogue jokes in hospital right up until his death.
The 89-year-old sadly died over the weekend. He'd recently undergone a hip replacement after suffering a fall at his apartment.
He was an iconic comedian who was famous for characters such as Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson.
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His final days were spent in St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney and it seems as though his spirits were high until the end.
Channel 9's Entertainment Editor Richard Wilkins said on Today: “Apparently in hospital he was still cracking people up. He’s saying. ‘No, I’ve got this new hip. You can call me ‘bionic Bazza'.
“That must have taken a lot of energy from him but he kept people entertained, the showman.”
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Others have also revealed Humphries was making jokes about death.
Close friend, Kathy Lette, told the programme: "The number one thing he wanted to do was make sure the nurses were laughing and his visitors felt at ease.
“The last time I saw him he was making jokes about obituaries and what words one could or couldn’t use. He didn’t want the word ‘nice’ or ‘bubbly’, which meant drunk!”
She added: "He was joking about how the grim reaper had been walking up and down the hospital corridors at night saying, ‘He didn’t collect me this time'.
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“And he joked with the nurses, saying ‘How many did he collect?’ and I said to him, ‘As you’re here they probably died laughing'.
"Then he made jokes about what the grim reaper was wearing and what a terrible outfit he has, how it was the original hoodie.
“Being in hospital visiting Barry I almost had to be hospitalised from hilarity.”
When news of his death was reported, tributes started flowing on social media for the iconic comedic personality.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote: "For 89 years, Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone. But the brightest star in that galaxy was always Barry.
"A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift. May he rest in peace."
"This is very sad," said another. "What a phenomenal talent.
"It's a cliche to say someone has funny bones, but cliches are often true, and he had some of the funniest."
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"Barry Humphries was a genius," praised a third. "He was always so funny, so sly and so terrifying. A brilliant comic mind. We have lost a legend. RIP."
While Ricky Gervais added: "Farewell, Barry Humphries, you Comedy genius."
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