Beloved ‘René’ is no more

29 Jan, 2017 - 00:01 0 Views
Beloved ‘René’ is no more

The Sunday Mail

Tinashe Kusema —
FROM its launch, back in 1982, British sitcom “Allo ‘Allo” thrilled and entertained fans for decades and in some parts of the world, Zimbabwe particularly, it still holds a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of fans.

Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, the parody follows the trails of Café owner René Artois Francois Artios as he reluctantly aids the resistance by night, and balances his duties as a husband, lover, friend and business owner by day.

Sadly, it is with a heavy heart that the world has learnt that the star of sitcom, Gorden Kaye, better known as René, is no more. He was 75. René died last Monday morning due to kidney failure.

While his passing is sad and a great loss to the industry, his final years are a cautionary tale or sorts; something the extract below from the Daily Mail articulates. It is a lesson on the highs and lows of stardom, as one’s “15-seconds of fame” are just that – very short. You are here today, but will be gone and forgotten tomorrow.

It was my biggest takeaway from the Daily Mail story, as my initial response to the sad passing of the 75-year-old was not necessarily one of sadness or grief. “OGM, this guy was still alive?” was my exact thought.

It was only after reading a few stories about the actor, who made calling women “stupid” fashionable in the ‘90s.

“You stupid woman, can you not see this woman is …” was one of the most beloved quotes of the yesteryear actor whenever he was caught in a compromising position with one of his lovers.

His final years were neither funny nor entertaining as the 75-year-old suffered from dementia and was barely recognisable or in touch with his many friends, family and fans.

It is a story all too familiar, as even here back home, there are many “celebrities” who have been forgotten, live in abject poverty or died paupers.

The arts industry particularly, is laden with such sad story. Below is the story from the Daily Mail.

***

“Allo Allo” star Gorden Kaye died after a secret two-year fight with dementia that left him unable to recognise his family.

The comic actor (75) died from kidney failure at his care home last week, but his family has claimed that his passing was a “blessing” because he would never have recovered.

The husband of Kaye’s cousin Sheila, Raymound Shuttleworth, who visited the star two weeks before he died, said: “He has not been well for a while but he was coping and it was renal failure which finished him off.

“We were warned it would be fairly fatal. I don’t feel too sad because it was a blessing he died. No way was he going to get any better.

“He had also been diagnosed with dementia two years ago and he didn’t recognise us any longer and just talked a lot of nonsense.

“He didn’t even recognise himself. But he had amazing staff looking after him, they have been absolutely incredible.

“He had no brothers or sisters, just a few cousins, he never got married and was a lone survivor till the end. And it was just a case of surviving and he was very lonely. That is all very sad.”

Retired college lecturer Raymond (86) paid tribute to his famous relative as “a brilliant actor, a comic genius, who brought a lot of joy to many people”.

He said: “It is a shame. He made his contribution more than most and he is still making people laugh today.”

Kaye was best known for his role as Rene Artois in the popular BBC sitcom “’Allo ‘Allo” which made light of the Nazi occupation of France.

The Bafta-nominated comic actor also appeared in “Last of the Summer Wine”, “Are You Being Served?”, “Coronation Street” and “Emmerdale”.

Raymond added: “He always appreciated his fans saying ‘They’re my bread and butter’ and he always stopped to sign autographs in the street.”

Only child Kaye described himself as a “shy and overweight boy” and he remained a bachelor. He has very few surviving family members left.

Raymond and grief-stricken wife Sheila (84) from Coalville in Leicestershire, are now busy planning the actor’s funeral in the star’s home town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

They hope his former co-stars including Vicki Michelle will attend.

Michelle posted on Twitter: “So sad to hear news of Gorden Kaye. A brilliantly talented actor consummate professional, loved the world over. There’ll never be another René.”

Father-of-two Raymond said that sadly many of his friends snubbed him since he had gone to live in a care home.

He said: “Not many people from London visited him, just one or two but not recently, they just seemed to forget about him. Me and my wife went up whenever we could but we’re too old to drive and it’s difficult by train and taxi.”

Their son Ian (56) visited him last week at the Thistle Hill Care Home in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Raymond said: “Ian told me he just sat in a chair and didn’t look well at all.”

He told how the teetotal star – who cheated death in a horrific car crash in 1990 – “smoked a bit but never touched alcohol”.

Raymond explained: “He had moved to a big house in Yeadon near Leeds in 2000 and lived all alone there then spent the last years of his life in three different care homes, moving into Thistle Hill four or five months ago.”

He recalled his last visit, saying: “Gorden was sat up and talking but he didn’t know us any more, he was saying all sorts of things but it didn’t mean anything.

“He was in his own little world, one assumes he was unhappy but he was at that stage with the dementia that he may just not be aware.”

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