Comedian Mel Smith Passes Away at 60

According to published reports, British comedian Mel Smith passed away on July 19 from a heart attack. He was 60 years old.

Smith was best known for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones. Smith and Jones founded Talkback, which grew to be one of the UK's largest producers of TV comedy and light entertainment programming.

In autumn 2006, Smith starred opposite Belinda Lang in a tour of a new comedy An Hour and a Half Late by French playwright Gérald Sibleyras, which was adapted by Smith. He then directed a West End revival of Charley's Aunt starring Stephen Tompkinson. From October 2007 to January 2008 he played the role of Wilbur Turnblad in the London production of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre.