Comedian Jimmy Cricket asked for the last rites twice, “almost like he asked for an encore”, before his death at the age of 80, his son, Fr Frankie Mulgrew, has said.
The Northern Irish stand-up comedian died on Monday morning following a short illness, a statement from his family said.
His youngest son, a former comedian who became a priest, Fr Mulgrew described his father as being “like a light” and said he loved making people laugh.
Known for his catchphrase “And there’s more!”, Cricket fronted his own British television series of the same name on which he wore his signature look of tailcoat, short trousers and wellington boots marked clearly with “L” and “R” on the wrong feet.
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In a post on X, the comedian Ted Robbins paid tribute, saying: “I worked with him many times & he was one of the last great comics a unique style, never blue just funny.
“I know he and all his family have a great Christian faith so maybe The Angels will be saying ‘Come here Jimmy – there’s more’.”
In a statement on social media, Cricket’s family said: “Our beloved Jimmy has passed away this morning after a short illness.
“He spent his last few days surrounded by his family, love, laughter and songs.
“Jimmy brought so much laughter and happiness to countless audiences in his career over the years.
“Whether on stage, screen or radio, or if you met him in person as well.
“But that was nothing to the happiness he gave to his family.”
Born James Joseph Mulgrew in Cookstown, Cricket left school aged 16 and began working as a “redcoat” entertainer at Butlin’s holiday camps.
After moving first to Stockport, northwest England, and then Rochdale, Cricket worked the northern comedy circuits in England throughout the 1970s, gaining his big break when he reached the semi-finals of TV talent show Search for a Star in 1980.
He spent the 1980s as a household name, with numerous appearances in The Krankies Klub and The Good Old Days. In 1987 he was the featured celebrity on an episode of This Is Your Life.
By the mid 1990s he had moved towards radio, starring in four series of the acclaimed BBC Radio 2 show Jimmy’s Cricket Team alongside other comedy talent.
Cricket was married to his wife May for 52 years and they had four children together. He was described as being a “very silly grandad” to four grandchildren.
In his family’s statement, they praised him for being their “greatest champion”, saying he “loved us all loudly”.
“He also just loved people and he absolutely loved being a stand-up comedian. What a life he lived,” he said.
“Forever our clown, he was cracking jokes to the wonderful NHS staff and to us all, right until the end.
“His courage, dignity and positivity through all he endured was inspirational.
“A force for joy. We are just all very sad that the world is a far less sillier place today.
“We were going to end by using his famous catchphrase and say, ‘There’s no more’.
“But Jimmy was a man of great faith and a Papal Knight of the Catholic Church.
“He believed that death is not the end and was looking forward to eternity, so really … and there’s more.”
In 2015, Cricket was awarded a papal knighthood, the Catholic Church’s highest honour, by Pope Francis, in recognition of his charity work.
Commenting on the award at the time, Cricket said: “The parish priest arrived and took out this certificate – it was a papal knighthood and it was in Latin. I thought, ‘He’s got the wrong fella here, is he sure it’s not the neighbour?’”
He said: “I do what I love. If I can raise money by entertaining people, sure it’s not hard work. To get an honour for doing something that you love is quite a blessing.”
The entertainer previously posted on his website that he was taking a “little sabbatical for health reasons” and had started treatment.
It said, however, that he would “catch up” with fans at string of shows in autumn 2026. – Press Association and Guardian
