Tragic comic Duncan Norvelle died virtually penniless after camp act fell out of favour and he suffered years of devastating health setbacks
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Tragic funnyman Duncan Norvelle died virtually penniless after his camp act fell out of favour with TV bosses - and battling years of ill health. The comedian, known for his trademark 'Chase me' catchphrase, spent his final years living in a run-down terraced home in Romford, east London.
![[Duncan was familiar face on British TV in the 1980s and was known for his catchphrase 'chase me!' and camp humour]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/10/93085017-14193381-Duncan_was_familiar_face_on_British_TV_in_the_1980s_and_was_know-a-10_1734259048659.jpg)
He had attempted to make a series of comebacks after suffering two devastating strokes in 2012 which left half his body paralysed and confined to a hospital bed for 18 months. Norvelle - who at times appeared on stage in a wheelchair or walking with the aid of a stick - bravely incorporated his health struggles into his act, describing himself as 'a special-needs guest star' and joking that he had had to change his catchphrase to 'push me'.
![[Duncan Norvelle's run-down terraced home in the Romford area of London where he lived towards the end of his life]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/10/93154775-14193381-Duncan_Norvelle_s_run_down_terraced_home_in_the_Romford_area_of_-a-11_1734259048672.jpg)
But, with a series of failed marriages and relationships behind him, Norvelle fell on hard times. Two companies he set up in 2016, both called Chase Me Management, were dissolved the following year after each was subject to a compulsory strike off. Norvelle, 66, continued to travel the country performing in pubs and small clubs while his sole mainstream TV appearance was an 80s special edition of Pointless Celebrities in 2019.
![[Following his stroke, Duncan Norvelle defiantly said: 'I saw a lot of stroke patients give up and not question what the doctors were saying to them but I was determined to get better and live my life']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/10/93085027-14193381-Following_his_stroke_Duncan_Norvelle_defiantly_said_I_saw_a_lot_-a-14_1734259048685.jpg)
He also worked on cruise ships and earned extra cash recording personalised video messages for fans. Comedian Duncan Norvelle died at the age of 66 from a chest infection and sepsis - 12 years after suffering a stroke which left half his body paralysed.
![[Norvelle rose to fame on the ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the early 1980s]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/10/93085031-14193381-Norvelle_rose_to_fame_on_the_ITV_variety_show_Saturday_Royal_in_-a-12_1734259048684.jpg)
