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Ken Dodd, Legendary Comedian, Died Two Days After Secretly Marrying Lover, World Pays Tribute

By Louise Bonquin
Published on: 03:10 PST, Mar 12, 2018

Ken Dodd, the legendary comedy king, has died on March 11 in the Knotty Ash home where he was also born and got married just two days before his death. He was 90.

According to Daily Mail, Robert Holmes, Dodd’s publicist, confirmed his wedding and passing via interview with Good Morning Britain earlier today.

“It’s a wonderful love story. They had been together for 40 years and on Friday he suddenly asked her to marry him and she was delighted obviously,” he said.

He added, “She (Anne Jones) got hold of the local vicar and organized the registrar to come to the house and they got married. And two days later he’s passed away.”

In January, the funnyman was hospitalized for flu that developed into a severe chest infection. After six weeks of treatment at the Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital, he got better and was able to come back home, Mirror reported.

Two weeks following his discharge from the hospital, Sir Ken Dodd secretly married Anne Jones, his partner of 40 years. But sadly, the comedy king died just 48 hours after tying the knot.

As news of his death spread, people around the world expressed sadness over the loss of a great stand-up comedian. His colleagues and TV stars also paid tribute to Ken Dodd on social media.

John Challis, a fellow comedian, was one of the firsts to post about his death, “So sorry to hear we have lost Ken Dodd. I met him once and I’ve never forgotten it,” he tweeted.

Other fellow actors including Lee Mead and Dara O’ Briain paid tribute by saying that they were lucky to have had the chance to meet him. They added that they will surely going to miss such a great man who gave everyone so much joy.

The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, the Liverpool Council and famed author, actor and comedian, David Williams, also posted their condolences to Sir Ken Dodd’s wife and family.

Sir Ken Dodd’s full name is Kenneth Arthur Dodd and he was born on Nov. 8, 1927. He was known for his Diddy Men character. His routines as stand-up comedian always include lively song numbers and these were loved for many decades.

For his outstanding contributions and influences to the entertainment industry and charity, he was made a Knight Bachelor of the British Empire in the New Year Honors in 2017. Prior to this recognition, he was already an appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1982 New Year Honors.

Finally, he did not stop performing despite his old age. In fact, he had shows scheduled for 2018 but they were canceled due to his health issues.

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