Joe Longthorne, 64 Gone To The Great Big Blackpool Bingo Hall Gig In The Sky

[George White]

Tragic he never reached his target audience age.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-49219270

[Better Midlands]

I thought he would have been older than that, RIP Joe.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I have a friend who's otherwise sane who adores Joe, has seen him on every tour and met him countless times, and believes him to be the best singer ever. Which makes no sense at all given his otherwise good taste in things.

[Jockice]

My mum was a huge fan. So there we go.

[Pseudopath]

Well, at least I now understand the Mandela Effect. I could have sworn Longthorne died around the same time as Marti Caine. Guess I must have been mentally mixing up my cancerous light entertainers.

[George White]

Well, at least I now understand the Mandela Effect. I could have sworn Longthorne died around the same time as Marti Caine. Guess I must have been mentally mixing up my cancerous light entertainers.

Dustin Gee died a few years earlier, who wasn't that dissimilar.

[Pseudopath]

Dustin Gee died a few years earlier, who wasn't that dissimilar.

Nah...he might have looked the same and similarly performed regularly with Les Dennis, but he's safely filed away in the "massive heart attack" section of my brain.

[DrGreggles]

Well, at least I now understand the Mandela Effect. I could have sworn Longthorne died around the same time as Marti Caine.

Likewise. I thought I remembered reading his obituary.
There was something about him being homeless at one point.

Definitely a very talented man anyway.
RIP.

[Blue Jam]

My mum was a huge fan. So there we go.

So was mine, and she had quite a few of his albums on vinyl, but despite that all I can remember about him is Bob Mortimer describing him as "The chicken-in-a-basket-style entertainer" on Shooting Stars.

I don't suppose there are any hidden gems in his back catalogue? I remember nothing of his music or comedy. Sad news story though, I hadn't realised he'd been through such a series of unfortunate events, poor guy.

[sevendaughters]

My dad intensely disliked him because my dad is also a clubland singer who does comedy bits. Rage of bitterness. Some mild homophobia in his disdain. This was back in the 90s when Joe was on telly a lot, so I presume he's mellowed a bit.

Was the stuff about JL living in his changing room true or apocryphal and presumable a bit racist based on him being a traveller?

[Jockice]

So was mine, and she had quite a few of his albums on vinyl, but despite that all I can remember about him is Bob Mortimer describing him as "The chicken-in-a-basket-style entertainer" on Shooting Stars.

I don't suppose there are any hidden gems in his back catalogue? I remember nothing of his music or comedy. Sad news story though, I hadn't realised he'd been through such a series of unfortunate events, poor guy.

I can just remember that he did impressions of other singers, but not funny ones, so I couldn't see the point of him. I do know he'd previously been on Junior Showtime, a programme I absolutely loathed as a child and saw an interview with him in which he said it should come back. So that just increased my disdain.

I would sneer at my several of my mum's entertainment tastes, which wasn't very nice, but all part of growing up. She didn't really appreciate mine either though. And I did buy her a Longthorne live video one year for either Christmas or her birthday and watched it all the way through with her without making a single adverse comment. It was tough but I managed it.

[studpuppet]

I know a bit about his 'post-TV' career, mainly thanks to an ex-colleague of mine being a dead ringer for him, and us joining him up to the Joe Longthorne Fan Club at one point. It's a more interesting life than you might imagine, and despite having mouth cancer, he had dates stretching throughout August.

http://www.joelongthornembe.co.uk/biography

[George White]

He would also banter with himself incharacter as Bassey or Tom Jones.
He did do comedy in his TV show, but gradually drifted.

[kalowski]

Joe Gonethorn

[DrGreggles]

He would also banter with himself incharacter as Bassey or Tom Jones.

I seem to recall him doing a Bassey/Jones duet, which was actually rather impressive.
Think he did it at a Royal Variety Show or something.

[Shit Good Nose]

Dustin Gee died a few years earlier, who wasn't that dissimilar.

Used to get Gee, Longthorne and Duncan Norvelle mixed up all the time.  In fact I probably thought they were one and the same person for a while, at least until Gee carked it.  Still remember when that was announced on the news like it was yesterday.  On a similar note, you can book Billy Pierce if you've got a spare two grand.


64, though - honestly thought he was a lot older than that.

[idunnosomename]

was cluttering up Songkick with his North Pier shows, hope they delete them now, rip.

[Jake Thingray]

I hope Ballad of Ballard Berkeley doesn't mind my repeating this, but earlier this year, on a certain social media platform, I mentioned how in the late 1990's, Longthorne got into a punch-up with two "punk rockers" as he termed them. BoBB replied, "I hope he quelled the violent encounter with his uncanny Shirley Bassey."

[NurseNugent]

His thread on deathlist caused quite a lot of ranter fire.

https://forums.deathlist.net/topic/1738-joe-longthorne/

[Jockice]

Used to get Gee, Longthorne and Duncan Norvelle mixed up all the time.  In fact I probably thought they were one and the same person for a while, at least until Gee carked it.  Still remember when that was announced on the news like it was yesterday.  On a similar note, you can book Billy Pierce if you've got a spare two grand.

Duncan Norvelle was another one of my mum's favourites. I know his catchphrase was 'chase me' but I have absolutely no recollection of ever seeing him on television.

[Gulftastic]

We used to think Wigan Rugby League player Simon Haughton looked a bit like Joe, and every time he was brought on from the subs' bench, we'd sing 'Gooooldfingaaaaaaah'

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

There was a girl at my school who worshipped him. I found that slightly odd as I never expected 15 year old girls to be fanatically obsessed with club singers no matter how talented. I gather that his fans were mostly of the obsessive type.

[Jake Thingray]

I gather that his fans were mostly of the obsessive type.

That's true -- in defence of Longthorne, he came out of his own accord, unlike Peter Wyngarde or Michael Barrymore. But like those two, I suspect certain of said fans still refuse to believe it.

[millwall32]

I thought he would have been older than that, RIP Joe.

Brilliant singer, but did certainly "skew older" in terms of his fanbase.

[Pseudopath]

in defence of Longthorne, he came out of his own accord

Kudos for not using a chauffeur, but I would have thought he could have afforded a better motor than that.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

+1 Karma ^

[Sarge]

My mate was his stage manager for years-he mainly handed him his spliff and wine-I saw him perform in Blackpool a few times and it was obvious he was an exceptionally talented vocalist, his impressions are incredible (especially live)-I can't be cynical, his cancer-battle went on for years but he still had to work, he was an amazing performing artist in an unforgiving business occupying the unfashionable end it