THE death, at the age of 62, of Scots comedian Ben Gunn on Wednesday was caused by a massive heart attack, a sad irony, as he was in Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride awaiting results of tests and surgery for a triple bypass operation when it occurred. He was a big man and his heart, as his colleagues and friends agree, was the biggest thing about him. Fellow comic Andy Cameron said: ''He couldn't say no. He would attend any charity event - he must have done thousands - at the drop of a hat. It's really, really sad.''
The two comedians had a long-running joke and they started calling each other The Thief of Bad Gags when they were both working in the clubs and lounges that were their training grounds, and he is remembered with fondness there not just for his charity work but for his ready good humour and his ability to take the rough with the smooth.
The former welder was a funny man, constantly deriding himself for his weight, against which he fought a life-long battle, often dieting away stones for any of a hundred causes. The list of charities he worked for and with would fill this page. One of the things that he was serious about was the work of Robert Burns, upon whose life and poetry he was a self-taught expert, and the show that he devised and performed on the Bard was a huge success, particularly in Canada and the US, where he had planned to tour once again next year.
Sydney Devine, with whom he had worked for the past 20 years, said: ''I've never understood why he wasn't hugely famous. He was one of the funniest men I've ever met and I'm going to miss him a lot. It's difficult to take in the fact that I'll never see him again.''
One of the quirks in Ben Gunn's full life is that he was one of very few people who was born a Catholic, went to St Joseph's in Dumfries, then a training ground for many of Scotland's priests, and then became a fervent Rangers supporter and eventually Right Worshipful Master of Lodge Dramatic, the Masonic lodge for people involved in the entertainment business, in which he became interested because of its charitable work and because of Robert Burns. Sectarianism, however, played no part in his life
and his charitable work and his humour embraced all religions.
He is survived by his wife Barbara and his children William and Lynn, who were at his bedside when he died. There will be a funeral service for him today at 9.30am in Holytown Parish Church.
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