The Sad Decline of Benny Hill

In 1990 The Benny Hill Show was airing in reruns in 97 countries around the world--but not in Great Britain where it had originated. The scourge of political correctness had forced Thames Television to end its association with Hill in 1989 after 20 successful years. Thames defended the move by saying Hill's periodic specials were becoming too costly, viewership was down, and the 65-year-old Hill was looking tired. However, by the late 1980s it was becoming unfashionable for Hill's sexually charged comedy skits to be shown on British TV. (One anti-Hill crusader wildly blamed The Benny Hill Show for all the sexual assaults in the UK!) Hill did not need the money, but he did miss being on TV. He had open offers to appear in Las Vegas and name his price, but Hill did not want to make the journey overseas. Hill was a true loner who never married and was not known to have had a long-term relationship with anyone. The few friends he had said his dismissal by Thames was akin to handing Hill a death sentence. With assets worth more than 7.5 million British pounds, Hill was a bit of a miser. He never owned a car, did his own shopping, and lived in a very modest flat. He was also a slob. His flat was usually filled with dirty dishes, papers strewn everywhere, and dirty clothes on the floor. A friend once asked him why he threw his clothes on the floor. "Because they won't stick to the ceiling!" was his pithy answer. In February 1992, the 68-year-old Hill suffered mild heart attack. He was ordered to go on a diet. Two months later he died of another heart attack while sitting in a favorite chair in front of his television. His body was not discovered for three days. Hill's will had not been updated since 1961. The beneficiaries (his parents and his sister) had already died. The comedian's vast fortune was eventually split among nieces and nephews whom Hill had barely known. Among those who considered Benny Hill a comic genius were people as diverse as Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jackson and Walter Cronkite!