BOBBY REMEMBERED
Tommy Cannon leads mourners at comedy partner Bobby Ball’s funeral after Covid death aged 76
TOMMY Cannon lead mourners at Bobby Ball’s funeral as fans lined the streets after the comedy star’s tragic death from coronavirus.
The comedian, 82, walked hand-in-hand with his wife Hazel as he made his way to the service for his old pal in Lytham, Lancs.
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Loved ones attending the service pulled on Bobby’s iconic red braces as they remembered the star this morning.
While others clutched orders of service and signed a memorial book.
Floral tributes placed by Bobby's coffin spelled out Grandad and Bob while white roses were placed on top.
Covid restrictions stopped crowds from gathering inside the church - but mourners lined the streets as the hearse passed by and then stood outside as they commemorated the comedy legend.
Fans later crowded together on Blackpool promenade to pay their respects as the hearse travelled through the town.
I'm absolutely devastated, I've lost my partner, my best friend and the funniest man I know.
Tommy Cannon
Stand-up Jason Manford was among those attending, while other mourners posed for a picture by the town's Comedy Carpet next to Bobby's catchphrase "Rock On Tommy".
Tommy said he was “devastated” when paying tribute last month and described his Cannon and Ball partner as the “funniest man I know”.
He said: “Rock on, my good friend, I can’t believe this, I’m devastated.
"I'm absolutely devastated, I've lost my partner, my best friend and the funniest man I know.
"Thank you for your messages, prayers and love".
COMEDY STARS
At their peak the and in 1985 their summer season theatre performances out-sold Bruce Springsteen’s British tour.
Born Robert Harper in 1944, Bobby sang in working men’s clubs with his sister from the age of five.
Despite earning more than his father, he decided to quit aged 15 to become a welder at a factory in Rochdale.
It was there he met Tommy, with the pair forming singing duo the Harper Brothers in the 1960s before later switching to comedy.
They had their first TV appearance in 1968 on talent show Opportunity Knocks, coming last.
But when then-ITV supremo Michael Grade saw their slapstick act he insisted they were given their own series in 1979.
It ran for nine years until 1988, with Bobby the knockabout clown — wearing silly clothes and pretending to fall out with special guests — alongside Tommy’s straight man.
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ROLLS AND ROCHDALE
Cannon and Ball enjoyed all the trappings of success as they shot to stardom and were known for a lavish lifestyle, buying Rolls Royces and race horses – as well as Rochdale Football Club.
But when the TV work dried up, the debts mounted and the duo later faced bankruptcy, before both found God and got back on the telly.
Their fortunes changed when they appeared together on 2005’s I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!
When taking on his bushtucker trials in the jungle, Bobby would call out “Von, Von, Von”, his pet name for wife Yvonne, who had stood by him through all the hard times.
Bobby eventually finished fifth on the reality show and work picked up consistently afterwards.
Proving he could do serious work as well as comedy, Bobby starred in sitcoms The Cockfields and Last Of The Summer Wine as well as dramas Mount Pleasant and Heartbeat.
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And he was never going to hang up his red braces — continuing to perform on stage with his old pal Tommy right up until the end.
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Five years ago, he said: “I could never call it quits. If no promoters booked me, I’d be out there busking.
“I’m a ham and love to make people laugh — it’s a fantastic job.”
Bobby Ball, one half of the comedy double act Cannon and Ball, has died aged 76 after testing positive for coronavirus
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