Tributes paid to 'lovely and hilarious' comedian Gareth Richards who has died aged 41 following car crash
08.04.2023 - 16:07
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Comedian Gareth Richards, a close friend of Frank Skinner, has died aged 41 after being involved in a car crash.
Skinner broke down during his Saturday radio show last week as he told listeners that his friend and former co-host had been involved in car crash and was fighting for his life. Today, Gareth's wife Laura shared an update with fans, confirming that he had passed away on Good Friday at around 6.30pm, the Mirror reports.
She wrote: "It is with great sadness that I have to share that Gareth passed away on Friday 7th April (Good Friday) at 6:30pm. He was in a terrible car accident on Monday 27th March at 11:30pm and sustained serious brain injuries.
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Laura said it was a "miracle that he arrived at the hospital alive", adding that medical staff had been "incredible" and had kept him in a stable and sedated condition. However, she continued: "The latest scan revealed that the extent of the damage was so severe that they would have to remove all of the supportive medications and allow him to be at peace."
She told her Facebook friends: "I know that he was well loved. At the moment the grief is a lot to cope with. Thank you all for your support and kindness."
Skinner struggled to hold back tears earlier this month when he revealed Gareth was fighting for his life on his Absolute Radio show. Speaking on the programme, the 66-year-old said: "One thing you have to learn to do in this line of work is put on a false front and the show must go, that's what happened this morning."
Talking to his co-host Emily Dean, he continued: "We have been doing this show for 14 years and when we first did the pilot for it, me and Emily, it was