A fundraiser set up to help pay for the late Tony Slattery's funeral has already raised more than £20,000 this week. It was announced on Tuesday that Tony had passed away that same morning, aged 65, following a heart attack days prior. The news was shared by his partner Mark Hutchinson, whom he'd been in a relationship with for almost 40 years.
Fans have paid tribute to the late comedian - who's known for having appeared on shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Have I Got News for You - following the news and have donated to a fundraising page. A message on the Crowdfunder page states: "Tony's death was sudden and unexpected, and sadly he had not made any provisions for his funeral.".
The fundraiser had a target of £8,000 but has already exceeded this figure, as at the time of writing there's been more than £20,600 given in donations from over 800 supporters. The page states that the fundraiser is set to end next month. A message on the page, understood to have been set up by a friend, describes Tony as having been a "titan of British comedy," but states that, in later years, mental health issues had "diminished" his career. "Life was starting to look rosy again when, to the great shock of all who knew him, he suffered a fatal heart attack," the message continues. It adds: "Because Tony was only just getting back to work, and because his passing was so unexpected, there wasn't a Plan B in place. If you could give just a little towards a funeral for Tony, it would be a huge weight of Mark's shoulders at this miserable time.".
