King Charles III. - Monarch mourns the death of Barry Humphries
Australia bid farewell to entertainer and comedian Barry Humphries (1934-2023) on Friday with a state memorial service. Several personalities, above all King Charles III (75), paid tribute to the man who died in April at the event in the Sydney Opera House.
As Australian media reported at the time, Humphries, who was best known for his character Dame Edna Everage, died at the age of 89 following complications from a hip operation. At the memorial service, Australian Arts Minister Tony Burke read out a message from the King, as reported by the British Daily Mail, among others. Charles is said to have been on friendly terms with Humphries.
A royal between fear and fun
"I suspect that everyone who has appeared on stage or television with Barry's Dame Edna, or where she has appeared at the back of the royal box, has shared that unique feeling of combining fear and fun," Charles' message reads. The current king is alluding to an interlude by Humphries at the Royal Variety Performance in 2013.
Anyone who tried to insist on their dignity quickly lost their footing - and anyone who wondered whether Humphries was taking it too far was always right: "No one was safe." The comedian's characters pushed people, exposed pretensions and broke through pomposity. Above all, however, they taught people to laugh at themselves.
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (60), media mogul Rupert Murdoch (92), comedian Jimmy Carr (51) and Sir Elton John (76) also had their say in front of thousands of fans, some of whom had dressed up as Dame Edna. Humphries was "one of the funniest people in the world", the music superstar explained in a video message.
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Source: www.stern.de
