Comedian Jimmy Cricket Dies at 80 After Short Illness

His son, Father Frankie Mulgrew, said Cricket "saw the joy in everything, right up until his death" and wanted last rites twice "because like a good comedian he wanted an encore. Mulgrew, a priest at Salford Cathedral, noted his father's deep faith and love for Northern Ireland, saying he aimed to "inject as much joy and silliness into the world as he could. Born James Joseph Mulgrew in Cookstown, County Tyrone in 1945, Cricket left school at 16, became a Butlins Redcoat in 1966, won LWT's Search for a Star, and had his own ITV show and BBC Radio 2 series.

Comedian Roy Walker called him a "sincere wee fella" who "loved everyone and everyone loved him, recalling early gigs where they got half pay and Cricket would borrow petrol money. Walker praised his clean act and pursuit of "the sound of laughter. Entertainer Christopher Biggins said Cricket was "unbelievably fantastic, I don't think I met a nicer man ever, crediting him with making wellington boots trendy and calling his humour "unique and simple and absolutely hysterical.