Comedian Duncan Norvelle has died at the age of 66 – 12 years after suffering a stroke which left half his body paralyzed.
Duncan was familiar face on British TV in the 1980s and was known for his catchphrase ‘chase me!’ and camp humour.
He leaves behind his girlfriend Linda Trevallion who cared for him for the past 10 years after his stroke. He had three children: Jack, Sophie and Yasmin.
Socialite Lizzie Cundy was one of the first to pay tribute to him, writing on Twitter: ‘Very sad to hear comedian Duncan Norvelle has passed away. His famous trade mark saying, ‘chase me chase me’ use to make me laugh so much.
‘Sending all my love and thoughts to his family.’
In 2012 Duncan suffered a stroke and was told afterwards that it was unlikely he would ever walk or talk properly again.
Comedian Duncan Norvelle has died at the age of 66 – 12 years after suffering a stroke which left half his body paralyzed
Socialite Lizzie Cundy was one of the first to pay tribute to him, writing on Twitter: ‘Very sad to hear comedian Duncan Norvelle has passed away’
Duncan was familiar face on British TV in the 1980s and was known for his catchphrase ‘chase me!’ and camp humour
Afterwards however he defiantly said: ‘I saw a lot of stroke patients give up and not question what the doctors were saying to them but I was determined to get better and live my life.’
Following the stroke he spent 18 months in hospital to regain his speech and mobility.
He said at the time: ‘It was an incredible wake-up call and I now live my life very differently.’
After his hospitalisation he discovered that his blood pressure was sky-high, one of the greatest contributing factors to a stroke.
After nine weeks in hospital, he cancelled his summer season with comedy duo Cannon and Ball, and was replaced by Stu Francis.
In 2015, Norvelle chose the Embassy Theatre, Skegness, as his first performance after over three years off-stage, promising that funds from his show would be allocated to the Stroke Association.
Norvelle rose to fame on the ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the early 1980s.
Before his life-changing illness in April 2012, Duncan admitted that he was ‘living at breakneck speed’.
In 2012 Duncan suffered a stroke and was told afterwards that it was unlikely he would ever walk or talk properly again (seen with Roger De Courcey)
Afterwards however he defiantly said: ‘I saw a lot of stroke patients give up and not question what the doctors were saying to them but I was determined to get better and live my life’
Duncan is seen left on Pointless Celebrities in 2019
Norvelle rose to fame on the ITV variety show Saturday Royal in the early 1980s
He appeared on a celebrity comedian edition of Come Dine With Me with Gina Yashere, Paul Tonkinson and Sean Hughes
His hectic work schedule saw him driving thousands of miles a year to perform in clubs and theatres across the country.
He has previously said: ‘I didn’t have time to worry about my health.’
Linda visited him in the hospital amid the early days of his recovery.
‘I was told he’d had a heart attack,’ she said at the time.
‘When I saw him I was shocked. His face had fallen and he couldn’t lift his head from the pillow. I hadn’t realised how serious a stroke could be.’
When he recovered he said: ‘I would urge people to get their blood pressure checked regularly and to get help straight away if they experience sudden facial or arm weakness or slurred speech as these are all symptoms of a stroke.
‘It’s a killer and I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones.’
He delighted his fans in 1991 when he appeared on the ITV comedy panel game show Through the Keyhole.
In 2008 the comedian impressed fans when he went on tour with the Ricky Tomlinson Laughter Show.
He also spent the 2009 pantomime season playing Buttons in Cinderella in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
