LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Kelly Monteith, a U.S.-born comedian whose observational humor and satirical sketches also brought him a wide following in Britain, has died at age 80.
His death was confirmed Tuesday by Marlise Boland, executive producer of the Anglophile Channel, which he often worked with. Boland said Monteith died Sunday in Los Angeles. He had suffered a stroke in 2021 and also battled aphasia.
Monteith was a St. Louis native who built enough of an audience to appear in the 1970s on the 鈥淭onight鈥� show with Johnny Carson, a major platform for rising young comics. He was also popular on British talk shows and received an offer from the BBC for his own program, 鈥淜elly Monteith,鈥� which ran from 1979-84.
Monteith combined jokes about everyday life, from hospitals and restaurants to people's mindless habit of saying 鈥渢hank you鈥� in casual encounters, to spoofs of old movies. He was also known for 鈥渂reaking the fourth wall,鈥� allowing his audience to see him in his dressing room before and after a show.
In 1983, he was among the entertainers at the Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. His other credits included guest appearances on the TV shows 鈥淭he Love Boat鈥� and 鈥淟ove American Style鈥� and the comedy album 鈥淟ettuce Be Cool,鈥� released in 1984. More recently, he looked back on his career as producer of 鈥淜elly Monteith鈥檚 BBC Memories" and co-host of 鈥淏rit Flix with Kelly, Paul and Two-Buck Chuck.鈥�
Monteith is survived by two children whom he had with his ex-wife, Caroline Alexander.
The Associated Press
