Actor and comedy legend John Bird dies at 86 (PHOTOS)

• John Bird is recognized for his lengthy comedy career.
• He died at 86 years of age.
• He was known as the ‘master of satire’.

Recently tragic news hit the entertainment industry in the United Kingdom and the world. Actor and comedy legend John Bird has passed away at the age of 86. He was considered the ‘master of satire’.

Comedy legend John Bird died on Christmas Eve at the age of 86, however his death was announced today by Rory Bremner who led the tributes to the comic genius.

Actor and comedy legend John Bird dies at 86

Bird became known for his performances alongside John Fortune and Bremner on the Channel 4 satire show, where their undoubted talent made them distinguished members of the entertainment industry, according to Daily Mail.

His co-star, Bremner, led the tributes to Bird and told the BBC that John Bird “had this brilliant instinct for the absurd and the sharpest mind. He was so modest, for someone who so often played these characters who were so accommodating and conceited».

John Bird died «peacefully» in a nursing home

“He was at the forefront of the rise of satire… he had the most wonderful mind and he was the most modest person, it was amazing,” he said. Bird and Fortune ran for 16 seasons, as well as one-off specials, between 1999 and 2008, and was nominated for several Bafta TV Awards.

It was reported that the actor and comedian had died «peacefully» at a renowned home for the elderly in Pendean and that a family funeral will be followed by a celebration of his life in the new year.

His partner Rory Bremmer said: «Now that loss is permanent»

Rory Bremner also said it was «shocking» that Bird had died on Christmas Eve, nearly nine years to the day fellow Fortune passed away at the age of 74 on New Year’s Eve in 2013, according to the Daily Mail.

«God knows, satire has missed them for the last decade and now that loss is permanent,» he added. «John may not have felt that he had the right life, but by God he has it written down,» concluded his partner and close friend.

Nominated for four Baftas and winner of one for his performance in 1997

The aforementioned characters became household names with their UK comedy skits by The Long Johns, in which the actors played bumbling politicians, military figures and businessmen.

They were nominated for four Baftas and won the award for their performance in 1997. Bird, Bremner and Fortune also collaborated on the BBC’s Now Something Else and The Rory Bremner Show and on the Channel 4 series Rory Bremner, Who Else?