TRIBUTES ARE flooding in to Sir Bruce Forsyth, whose death at the age of 89 has just been announced.
Sir Bruce entered showbusiness at the age of 14, performing song and dance routines on the stage. He became nationally known for presenting a regular variety show on television – “Live at the London Palladium”, hosting regular broadcasts between 1958 to 1964. He moved seamlessly over to presenting TV quiz shows – The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price is Right – in which he displayed his natural rapore with the audience.
As the Saturday night TV quiz show declined, so did the number of Sir Bruce’s TV appearances. Comedian Paul Merton suggested him for a guest presenter slot on Have I Got News For You – and his career was reinvigorated once more. Once more in the public eye, he was chosen to host Strictly Come Dancing – his career coming full circle as dance became the focus once more.
Sir Bruce retired from Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. He carried out a small number of public appearances, but then fell ill. He survived surgery for an aneurism but did not return to full health. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family – seventy-five years after he first trod the boards.
•Read more about it: David Bowie dies; music of a legend lives on Muhammad Ali dies: the “humble mountain” has fallen
[Adverts]