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."
Bernard Manning dead
June 18, 2007
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we love you bernard. a great comedy legend.
What a shame, a true comic genius
will be sadly missed
god bless him
What a sad day .god rest bernard ,the world will be a much sadder place without you mate..god bless you,and condolances to your family...
There will be mixed comments no doubt, but he had a lot of friends who were of the creed that his jokes were often aimed at. He made me laugh, even though I could cringe while laughing. But it was an act.
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.
bernard you were the best god bless you....many a good night at the embassy
A comedy legend, thank you Bernard, one of the funniest men it was my pleasure see.
Sad when anyone dies, but the man was a racist.The terminolgy in his 'jokes' was offensive. The sort of words used by the killers of Stephen Walker and Anthony Lawrence.I bet they found him rib-ticklingly funny.
Your croaky laugh will forever echo round Manchester.
R.I.P BERNARD MANNING... You was a tribute to Manchester! x
RIP Bernard Manning - a true comic genius.
God bless the big fella, he was the greatest comedian of all time. Despite the fact that his political and football allegiances were the total opposite end of the pole to my own, he always had me in stitches. A truly great son of Manchester...
Bernard what a true gentleman a one off when bernard was made they broke the mold.
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.
I am writing this on behalf on Sir Cyril Smith (Former MP for Rochdale) -
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
Dear Bernard, a true legend of comedy who's like we seldom see. A great pro who will be sadly missed by his family, fans, and fellow pros alike. Rest in peace old pal, it was a pleasure to work with you.
I only ever got to see Bernard perform live once and his talent for making the obvious funny was unsurpassed. A true comic genius. Always saying it as he saw it and never backed down to the whims of political correctness. A true Mancunian....
God bless and thanks for the memories you will be surely missed.
RIP Bernard. You were a true inspiration.
i was never a fan of bernards style of humour, but i was a fan of all his tireless fund raising for charities, especially fancis House and Cancer research. even though i didn't like some of his comedy, i respected him for the fact he never bowed down to the politically correct brigade.
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.
A true comidian, like very few others found a joke in normal everyday life. Sadly missed by all in Manchester.
Rest in Peace
An absolute legend. He was a blue and hated united. Aswell as that, he lives in alkrington like me and always supported local organisations. The most recent one was 'dump the hump'. R.I.P
I have spent my life arguing against racism and other isms.
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.
Saw Bernard perform a number of times,absolute genius.Will be sorely missed.RIP
A true great. Cried laughing every time i heard him.
R.I.P to a very special man.
Great bloke always made you laugh at life and only the people who did not know humour found him any different a great charity worker I went to many a sportsmans evening where Berard was present and his club Top Man..
He was a very funny comedian. Didn't realize he was that old, and he didn't look the picture of health. Will be sorely missed.