COMEDY legend Bernard Manning died today at the age of 76.
He passed away at 3.10pm at the North Manchester General Hospital, where doctors were treating him for a kidney problem.
Manning had been a patient in the hospital for the last two weeks and was admitted to intensive care over the weekend but only yesterday his son Bernard junior said his condition was improving.
Showbiz agent Mickey Martin, a close friend of the comedian, told the MEN: "I was going to visit him today but young Bernard called to say he's gone.
"It's come all of a sudden as we thought he was on the mend."
Mr Martin added: "He was the godfather of The Comedians and it's a sad loss to Manchester as well as to the world of comedy."
Read a full obituary and pay your tribute to Bernard Manning here
Manning was born in Ancoats and set up the World Famous Embassy Club in Harpurhey with his father in 1959.
But he found national fame in the 1970s when he appeared in the ITV stand-up show The Comedians along with Frank Carson and Stan Boardman.
Manning's style of politically-incorrect comedy became increasingly unfashionable and he was banned from many venues as critics branded his humour sexist and racist.
But he refused to tone down his act and revelled in the controversy generated by his shows. Despite his reputation for his blue brand of humour, his biographer Jonathan Margolis described him as a “family man” who devoted a lot of time to charity work, including raising money for Francis House Hospice in Didsbury, and Cancer Research.
He was left devastated in 1995 when his wife, Vera, and both his brothers died within the space of 12 months.
Only five weeks ago he held a "living wake" for a Channel 4 documentary where fellow comics paid tribute to him at the Manchester Hilton Hotel.
He told the audience: "I'm going to be with you for a long time yet."Manning said: "Throughout my life I've met such great people, I've had a good life, I've got a good family, and this has been one of the greatest nights of my life, so don't you worry about me."
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anthony (18/06/2007 at 16:46)
gazzy3k (18/06/2007 at 16:53)
will be sadly missed
god bless him
ace, manchester (18/06/2007 at 16:55)
PW, Manchester (18/06/2007 at 17:00)
I have raised much money for a charity through Bernard Manning's club, where he would give you 300 tickets to sell, and he would lay on prizes for a raffle. We would raise more money in an evening than in all our other fund-raising events over 2 years. He will be missed in Manchester.
keitho (18/06/2007 at 17:01)
GD, Vegas (18/06/2007 at 17:11)
7501, Manchester (18/06/2007 at 17:11)
Mark,Radcliffe. (18/06/2007 at 17:16)
Danielle Hill, Manchester (18/06/2007 at 17:20)
mark h buckley (18/06/2007 at 17:26)
Darran (18/06/2007 at 17:28)
chalie chan,your man in japan (18/06/2007 at 17:39)
God bless bernard i know my dad will be having a pint and a laugh with you in heaven.
Thanks for the laughter.
Good night and god bless bernard.
David Hennigan, Rochdale (18/06/2007 at 17:45)
I spoke to Bernard a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how hard he was still working.
Countless charities will miss Bernard's generosity. The comedy circuit will miss him greatly and I know for a fact that he used his life in comedy to help those less fortunate.
He was a good friend and will be greatly missed.
Sir Cyril Smith MBE
Steve James, Blackpool (18/06/2007 at 17:50)
FreeAtLast, Out Of The UK (18/06/2007 at 18:03)
Once a blue always a blue - CTID, Denton (18/06/2007 at 18:38)
Jade Goody (18/06/2007 at 18:41)
busman_dave, manchester (18/06/2007 at 18:52)
R.I.P Bernard. Manchester has lost yet another famous son. lets hope heaven appreciates the comedy of the great Les Dawson, the fabulous Frank "Foo Foo" Lamar and yourself.
Big Andy, Clifton (18/06/2007 at 19:13)
Rest in Peace
I Would Rather Be Dead Than Red, Manchester (Not London, Asia, Irleand, Iraq, Kenya) (18/06/2007 at 19:15)
Morrissey's Cat, Manchester (18/06/2007 at 19:22)
As a younger woman growing up in Wythenshawe I often found myself in heated debates in the pub or at work, telling anyone who would listen how comedy was always used as a weapon to belittle and undermine races in order to exploit them.
I saw Bernard Manning as an ignorant man who simply didn't understand that he was continuing an evil tradition that had the blood of millions of people on its hands.
History proves that if you can show your enemy to be less than human, to be foolish, uneducated, simple, stupid, unclean, backward or money-grabbing then treating them badly will be excused by 'your own people' who are always desperate for a reason to feel superior or better about themselves.
No matter how much unemployment, bad housing, poverty and sickness prevailed amongst, in my case, the white English working class, they could always comfort themselves with the thought that at least they were superior to someone.
And comedians like Bernard made this kind of twisted thinking acceptable.
How often were we told that 'it's only a joke' or 'it's not meant in a bad way'?
That's fine so long as it's not your child that's being spat at in school (this continues as I found out recently), or your father that's refused a job or your mother or sister that is abused in the street or in a shop.
As true as all this is I have to admit that I think Bernard Manning was a comedic genius. I worked at Manchester Airport in the very early eighties and would often get free admission to The Golden Garter nightclub after doing a late shift at the airport.
Anybody that knows about this club will tell you about the top class cabaret entertainment that appeared there.
One night the turn was Bernard Manning.
It was my intention to keep a straight face during his performance and keep mental notes of specific racist remarks he would make in order to confront my pals with it the following day.
But after a couple of minutes I was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter.
All the racism and cruel attacks on people were hilarious. In fact part of the fun was knowing how wrong it was.
So, for me Bernard was a real problem. I know about the power of racist humour and how it was/is used for evil.
I can argue all night long about the part racist humour played in the conflict between Ireland and England, Germany and the Jews, Africa and Europe, etc., etc.
But I also have to agree that Bernard Manning was probably the funniest man I have ever seen.
It's just a shame that he chose the wrong subject matter.
A flawed genius?
I know a few of them.
PMswinton, Salford (18/06/2007 at 19:25)
Kenny Clements Perm, France (18/06/2007 at 19:32)
R.I.P to a very special man.
Peter Sindle (18/06/2007 at 19:32)
Bill, Kiriat Motzkin (18/06/2007 at 19:33)