John Bishop, 56, shocked fans as he revealed the sudden death of his mother, Kathy, just four days after celebrating Mother’s Day. The star was soon overwhelmed by condolences from his 837,000-strong Instagram following and also received a startling selection of A-list support.
On Thursday evening, John shared a sweet snap of himself and his mother, cuddled close to each other at the dining room table and both sharing the same mile-wide smile.
However, the caption revealed more devastating news than the picture led on, as John announced that his mother had died that morning.
John, who currently plays Vic alongside Ian McKellen in the Mother Goose pantomime, also shared a clip of the show as he took his bow, with his mum adorably singing along from the seats.
He added: “Two weeks ago my Mum came to see me in Mother Goose in Liverpool and joined in the sing-a-long at the end as I knew she would.
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He also revealed that her sudden death came barely a week before her wedding anniversary, adding: “Next week she would have been married to my Dad for 62 years and they had a love and a friendship that was beautiful to be around.
John shared a sweet message of gratitude to the medical staff who were treating his mum, writing: “We want to thank all of the brilliant staff at Whiston Hospital on ward 3C who could not have done more and provided exceptional care for us all.”
The star was soon at the receiving end of thousands of comments of support and condolences.
Claudia Winkleman wrote: “Sending so much love xxx” while Richard E Grant shared a string of broken heart emojis.
Alan Carr added: “Oh John. So sorry for your loss.” with a bright red heart.
John’s wife Melanie also made a show of support for her grieving husband, writing: “Your Mum was a very lovely, kind and wonderful lady who always made me feel welcome and who had the most bright beautiful eyes and an overwhelming smile.
“I will miss her dearly xxx”
