Vale John Clarke

Renowned Australian comedian, writer and satirist John Clarke has died.

The 68-year-old was hiking in the Grampians over the weekend and is understood to have died of natural causes.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports he was walking along a track near Mt Abrupt around 11am on Sunday when he collapsed.

John Clarke was born in New Zealand, and lived in Australia since the late 1970’s.

He shot to fame after creating the character Fred Dagg “a fictional archetype satirist from New Zealand taking the piss out of the post-pioneering Kiwi bloke and blokesses”,  appearing first of double j and then on stage, film and television.

It was in in 1989 Clarke collaborated with Bryan Dawe creating weekly satirical mock interviews for television, radio and on-line which were hugely successful.

The interviews have been compiled into books and CD releases. “Great Interviews of the 20th Century” winning the ARIA Award for Best Australian Comedy Album in 1991. 

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