RIP Max Bygraves

[geoff83]

British comedian and variety performer Max Bygraves has died in Australia, aged 89.

The entertainer - whose catchphrase "I wanna tell you a story" propelled him to stardom in the 50s - had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

He died peacefully in his sleep at his daughter Christine Green's home in Queensland, Australia, on Friday night, where he had been living since emigrating from Sandbanks, Dorset.

Bygraves last appeared in public in the UK at revival shows in Blackpool and London in 2006.

He had moved to Australia with his wife of 70 years, Blossom, in the hope the warm climate would help her long-term chest condition. She passed away in May last year.

His son Anthony Bygraves, 65, told Sky News: "He was a natural, he was a great entertainer. He was a good mate - we had a lot of good times together."

He said he had visited his father two weeks ago with his youngest sister Maxine, 61.

"He had become terribly frail, but somehow I hoped that he would be able to see his 90th birthday," he added.