Clive James has died aged 80.
The Australian broadcaster – who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010 – passed away on Sunday (24.11.19), his agents have confirmed.
United Agents said in a statement: "Clive died almost 10 years after his first terminal diagnosis, and one month after he laid down his pen for the last time.
"He endured his ever-multiplying illnesses with patience and good humour, knowing until the last moment that he had experienced more than his fair share of this ‘great, good world’.
"He was grateful to the staff at Addenbrooke’s Hospital for their care and kindness, which unexpectedly allowed him so much extra time.
"His family would like to thank the nurses of the Arthur Rank Hospice at Home team for their help in his last days, which allowed him to die peacefully and at home, surrounded by his family and his books."
Clive was born in Australia in 1939 but moved to the UK in 1961, where he lived until his death.
He was known for hosting ITV show late-night TV show ‘Clive James on Television’ from 1982 to 1988, with the programme featuring comical clips from shows around the world.
It was later presented by Keith Floyd and Chris Tarrant and respectively renamed ‘Floyd on Television’ and ‘Tarrant on TV’, which came to an end in 2006.
Author, poet and critic Clive was known for his wit and was open about his terminal illness in his final years.
In 2015, Clive admitted he was appalled at himself for spending the last years of his life watching box sets, despite having a long list of activities left on his bucket list.
He said at the time: "It still appalls me the amount of time I’ve spent watching moving images. Film and then TV, and now box sets. If you’re a grown man, indeed more than a grown man, if you’re a man who has grown old to the point of death and you’re sitting there watching a box set of ‘Game of Thrones’, you’re bound to ask yourself, ‘What is life for? Why am I waiting for Sean Bean to get executed. What is going on here?’
"Well I suppose the Americans would call it the thrill of the story. I don’t know what it is. It’s rather fun to be in the same conversation as everyone else.
"My family watch ‘The West Wing’ continuously, forever. Fairly soon, my daughter and I , who are the binge-watching shock troops of our family, will be sitting down to watch ‘The West Wing’ again and I think for our generation, Josh and Donna, it’s like ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It’s a language of reference that everyone shares and I like being in it. I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t find it enjoyable."
Clive James dead at 80
