The Australian hospital where Barry Humphries is currently being treated has denied reports that the entertainer is in an “unresponsive” state.
The 89-year-old comedian, best known for his comic character Dame Edna Everage, is receiving treatment at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney due to “health issues” he suffered after undergoing hip surgery.
On Thursday, several local outlets reported that Barry had gone into an “unresponsive state”, although the hospital has insisted that these claims are “not accurate”.
“Reports that he is unresponsive are not accurate,” a spokesperson for St Vincent’s told the PA news agency. “He remains stable in the hospital in the best hands.”
After he was admitted to hospital, Barry’s family issued a statement thanking his fans and well-wishers for their messages of support.
“Barry Humphries is currently in hospital receiving treatment for health issues,” they said. “Barry would like to thank everybody for the support and good wishes he’s received, but would like more and more.
“He’d also like to thank the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at St Vincent’s Hospital.”
Barry became a staple on the British comedy circuit after moving to London in the late 1950s, with his Dame Edna character becoming a household name in in the 1970s.
As Dame Edna, Barry fronted the TV shows, the Dame Edna Everage Experience and Dame Edna’s Neighbourhood Watch.
His other comic creations include the lecherous Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, an elderly, childless man living in the suburbs.
Barry’s big screen credits include Spice World, the Rocky Horror Picture Show follow-up Shock Treatment and Finding Nemo, in which he voiced the great white shark Bruce.