Entertainment
This Is Spinal Tap actor Tony Hendra dies aged 79 as Rob Reiner pays tribute
Comic Tony Hendra has died aged 79.
The star was best known for his satire comedy work, as well as an appearance in mockumentary film This is Spinal Tap, in which he played the band’s manager, Ian Faith.
Hendra’s wife told the New York Times that his cause of death was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which was first diagnosed in 2019.
The star first started working in comedy when he attended Cambridge University, working alongside future members of the Monty Python troupe.
He met his comedy partner Nick Ullett, with the pair later taking their show to the United States.
In 1984, Hendra played band manager Ian Faith in This Is Spinal Tap, alongside stars including Michael McKean and Rob Reiner.
As well as his work for magazines like the National Lampoon, Hendra wrote for television, including for Hugh Hefner’s show Playboy After Dark, and he wrote the screenplay for for 1996 boxing comedy The Great White Hype with Ron Shelton, which featured Samuel L Jackson, Damon Wayans and Jeff Goldblum.
Friends and fans of Kendra’s have been paying tribute, with David St. Hubbins actor Michael simply writing: ‘RIP Tony Hendra.’
Rob, who wrote and directed This Is Spinal Tap as well as starring in it, wrote on Twitter: ‘Tony Hendra who played Spinal Tap’s manager, Ian, has sadly passed away.
‘A brilliant satirist who when learning that the band’s Boston gig had been canceled, told them not to worry that Boston wasn’t a big college town. R.I.P.’
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