Ronnie Golden obit

Ronnie Golden Dies at 78: What His Partner Revealed About His Final Moments

 

He was not on the list.

British musician and comedian Ronnie Golden has died at 78, leaving friends across the music and comedy worlds stunned by the sudden news. Golden, whose real name was Tony De Meur, died on Saturday, September 26. His partner, film producer Grace Carley, announced his death the following day.

Carley said Golden died while she was out walking the dog. She described his passing as peaceful and said she took comfort in believing he had experienced no pain or suffering. Her account offered a personal glimpse of his final moments, though she did not announce an official cause of death. Some friends have attributed his death to a heart attack in social media tributes; that detail has not been confirmed in Carley's statement.

Golden's career took an unusual route through British entertainment. In 1975, he founded the Fabulous Poodles, a band that released three albums, appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test and toured with artists including Tom Petty, Meat Loaf and Chuck Berry. When the band ended, he brought his musical skill and quick wit to the alternative comedy circuit, performing under the name Ronnie Golden.

Television viewers may remember him for a wonderfully strange appearance in The Young Ones: he played Buddy Holly, hanging upside down in a parachute. Golden also performed on the early London comedy circuit and became a regular musical collaborator with the late Barry Cryer. In later years, he fronted the R&B and soul group Ronnie and the Rex.

The response to Carley's announcement shows how much Golden meant to fellow performers. Comedian Steve Gribbin remembered a gifted musician and storyteller whose company he looked forward to at their annual Christmas gathering. Charmian Hughes recalled both sharing bills with Golden and seeing the Fabulous Poodles long before they became friends. Others remembered the pleasure of hearing his stories offstage as vividly as his work in front of an audience.

That breadth may be the most revealing part of his legacy. Golden could move from a touring rock band to an absurd television cameo, then hold a comedy room with a song and a story. His death has prompted tributes from people who knew him in each of those worlds-and from friends still struggling to take in how suddenly he was gone.