David Legge (1947 – 16 January 2012), known as Dave Lee, was a British comedian known for his work in pantomimes in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and his work on television. Lee also founded his own charity to help disadvantaged children.

Career

Lee was born in Broadstairs. At the age of five he suffered a bout of tuberculosis and later on, Lee also suffered from a burst appendix, peritonitis, pleurisy, double pneumonia and had his tonsils and adenoids out. Subsequently, Lee was sent to a

convalescent home A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

in Margate and disliked the idea. He began his career as a drummer at the Chartham Secondary Modern School at the age of 13. He worked as the warm-up act for Michael Parkinson, Michael Aspel and

Jimmy Tarbuck James Joseph Tarbuck (born 6 February 1940) is an English comedian, singer, actor, entertainer and game show host. He was a host of ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in the mid-1960s, and hosted numerous game shows and quiz shows on ITV ...

. He also appeared on television on the shows ''The Generation Game'', ''Celebrity Squares'', ''Live from the Palladum'' (where he achieved his breakthrough role and saw him invited to appear on the following two series), TVS' ''Strawberry Blonde'' and had his own golfing series. Lee visited the Falkland Islands in 1988 to entertain troops and was selected to appear at a Royal Gala in 1989. He was also a non-executive director of

Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent, England. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, the "Gills" play their home matches at Priestfield Stadium. The team compe ...

, having been a fan of the club. He was nominated for the 1990 British Variety Award for Best Stand-Up Comic. In 1994, Lee founded the Dave Lee Happy Holidays Charity. During his lifetime, it raised £2 million for many of Kent's sick, disabled and under-privileged children to enjoy holidays and outings with their families. In the

2003 New Year Honours The 2003 New Year's Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British monarch's honours system, where 1 January is marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of ot ...

, Lee was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to the community in Kent.

Illness and death

On 9 November 2011, it was announced that Lee had pulled out of the pantomime for Cinderella due to his failing health days before the rehearsals began. In his absence Lee's role was rewritten and filled by Sion Tudor Owen. On 10 January 2012,

Canterbury City Council Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of th ...

announced that Lee would be given the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

. Lee died six days later of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, age 64. He was married with children. His funeral was held at Canterbury Cathedral on 30 January 2012 with fellow comedians Jim Davidson,

Richard Digance Richard Digance (pronounced DYE-jance; born 24 February 1949) is an English comedian and folk singer. Early life Digance was born in Plaistow, East London. After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary School ...

, and the Lord Mayor of Canterbury in attendance. He received the Freedom of the City posthumously.

Legacy

A bronze statue of Lee was unveiled outside the Marlowe Theatre in May 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Dave 1947 births 2012 deaths Date of birth missing British comedians Members of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Broadstairs Deaths from cancer in England