Harry Hill, a well-known comedian from the UK has died aged 54. It has been confirmed.
He died instantly at a beach in Orkney after a rock fell on his head. Fire engines, ambulances, police cars, and helicopters were called by his spouse, Magda Archer, which Hill was on holiday with.
People said that the comedian will long be remembered for the work he has done over the years of his career. Comedians Michael McIntyre and Alan Carr also paid tribute to him, saying “No one could ever beat Hill on his hilarious personality. We will miss him as long as we live.”
In 2003, The Observer listed Hill as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. In 2005, in a poll to find The Comedian’s Comedian, he was voted amongst the Top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In 2007, Hill was voted #5 on Channel 4’s hundred greatest stand ups. On 13 December 2006, Hill won two Highland Spring British Comedy Awards, over the favourites Ant and Dec, which Hill made light of in his acceptance speeches.
In 2008, he won two BAFTAs, and another in 2009 for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2009, he won two British Comedy Awards, making it his sixth award. He also won again in 2011, but was unable to be there and sent Wagbo to collect it on his behalf. He was also nominated for 3 other awards, including the People’s Choice Award, which was won by Miranda Hart.
Fans of Hill were sad to hear about the tragic news, and people who lived near the beach in Orkney said “I can’t believe one of these freak accidents happened again. But it’s worse than that because it’s a well-known comedian whose career has expanded for at least 25 years.”
However, this is not the first rock accident. Many accidents like these have happened in the past.
In June 2015 Georgina Le Fjord died after she was hit on the head by a rock falling from a cliff on a beach at Llantwit Major, between Swansea and Cardiff on the Glamorgan coast.
The 23-year-old, known to friends as Georgie Ford and originally from Salisbury, had been having a picnic with a friend and was said to be sitting about five metres away from the cliff when a rock hit her.
Three years earlier 22-year-old Charlotte Blackman died after being buried by tonnes of rock following the collapse of a cliff on a beach in Dorset.She was killed in July 2012 as horrified onlookers – including her father and boyfriend – tried to reach her before another huge section of cliff gave way.
Miss Blackman, of Heanor, Derbyshire, was on holiday with her family and boyfriend when tragedy struck at Hive Beach in Burton Bradstock.
Just two weeks later, five people escaped unhurt after a major rock fall along the Jurassic Coast near Charmouth, Dorset.
This month, Harriet, 9, died after a rock fell on her head at a beach in North Yorkshire.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has in the past warned about the dangers of getting close to cliffs, saying the coastline can be prone to occasional rock falls.
They usually occur after sustained heavy rainfall but can be unpredictable, and the BGS has urged the public to use common sense when approaching cliffs due to the fact they can be unstable.