Father Ted star dies suddenly aged 69 as poignant tributes paid
Irish actor Ben Keaton, known for his roles in Father Ted, Emmerdale and Casualty, has passed away at the age of 69. He died on Friday (March 20) at Lincoln County Hospital in England.His death notice read: "Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette."In response to the tragic news, Polly posted on Facebook: "So incredibly sorry to say Ben Keaton died last night. It was very sudden and we are all in shock."We had separated several years ago but we had half a lifetime together and infuriated and made each other cry with laughter in equal measure. He was a great dad to Waldo and Daisy and the finest Groucho and Cyrano I have ever seen."Keaton is perhaps best remembered for his role as Father Austin Purcell in the iconic comedy series Father Ted, and he also enjoyed a successful career in theatre, reports the Irish Mirror.A fan account dedicated to the beloved Father Ted series shared on X: "Saddened to hear of the passing of actor Ben Keaton. We knew him as Father Austin Purcell (one of my favourite one-off characters)."He was a regular at ComicCon events, so I imagine many got to meet him over the years. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and many fans."Father Austin Purcell famously earned the dubious distinction of being labelled the "most boring priest" in existence by the show's main character during his single appearance in the second episode of series two of the beloved Irish sitcom, which featured Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon and Pauline McLynn.Beyond his memorable turn in the cult comedy, Ben also had notable runs on ITV's Emmerdale and the BBC's long-standing medical drama Casualty.On Emmerdale, Ben took on the character of Jeff Brannigan, who featured in a hit-and-run plot involving Paddy Kirk. Over on Casualty, he enjoyed an extended period playing Spencer, appearing in over 50 episodes of the hospital-based series before moving on to roles in The Bill, Double Time and the comedy-horror film Love Bite.In 2015, he returned to his Father Ted character for the online series Cook Like A Priest, which he also penned.
