In a crowded room of talent, Tony was the brightest and the best

Comedian Slattery dies after heart attack at 65

- BY MARK JEFFERIES

TONY Slattery, the actor and comic whose lightning wit earned him presidency of the Cambridge Footlights and made him a favourite on Whose Line Is It Anyway? has died at the age of 65.

His long-time partner, actor Mark Hutchinson, said Slattery passed away yesterday morning after suffering a heart attack on Sunday.

Sandi Toksvig, 66, his contemporary at Cambridge, was one of the first to pay tribute, saying: "I don't think I ever met a more beautiful man than Tony Slattery. I was 19 when we met and thought he was astonishing.

"Stunning to look at, glorious smile, infectious laugh and a streak of kindness a mile wide. I loved him. We all did. In a crowded room of talent, he was the brightest and the best."

RAMBLING

Tony, who was bipolar and had struggled with alcohol and drugs, had last year made a return to the comedy circuit, touring with his show Resuscitated, and also launched a podcast, Tony Slattery's Rambling Club.