[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

You're thinking of Tommy Cooper

Nope.

On 26 April 1976, while on a revival tour of*The Mating Season, a 1969 farce by the Northern Irish playwright*Sam Cree, James suffered a*heart attack*on stage at the*Sunderland Empire Theatre. Actress*Olga Lowe*thought that he was playing a practical joke at first when he failed to reply to her dialogue. When he failed to reply to her ad libs, she moved towards the wings to seek help. The technical manager, Melvyn James, called for the curtain to close and requested a doctor, while the audience – who were unaware of what was happening – laughed, believing the events to be part of the show. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, but was pronounced dead. He was 62.