Comedian Gareth Richards Dies From Car Crash Injuries

By Ashley Turner

British comedian Gareth Richards, 41, passed away almost two weeks after sustaining brain injuries in an automobile accident. His wife Laura shared in a post that Richards had sadly passed away from his injuries on April 7 after being involved in a serious collision on March 27. Sky News reported that her post read: "He was in a terrible car accident on Monday March 27 at 11.30pm and sustained serious brain injuries. It was a miracle that he arrived at the hospital alive. "Since then, the doctors and nurses have been incredible and have kept him in a stable and sedated condition. However, the latest scan revealed that the extent of the damage was so severe that they would have to remove all of the supportive medications and allow him to be at peace." On Saturday mornings, Richards co-hosted The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio with Frank Skinner.

As Skinner, 66, announced Richards was in a coma and fighting for his life live on air after the accident, he broke down in tears. Skinner has now released a whole episode of his podcast in memory of Richards, stating in a tweet previously that during the episode, they would feature a number of his "Best Bits" and adding that they will "miss him greatly" in the future. On Sunday morning's show, Skinner became overcome with emotion as he paid tribute to his friend and thanked listeners for their "beautiful messages. "Last week, some of you will know I ended the show by telling you that our former colleague and dear friend Gareth Richards had been in a serious road accident and was fighting for his life," he said, per The Daily Mail.

"There's been lots of beautiful messages about Gareth, and his family have been very kind to us and kept us informed about the details of his struggle but look, Gareth didn't make it. Gareth didn't make it, and we will miss him intensely. He was a very kind, gentle, funny, fascinating man and I can't believe that he... Anyway, today's show features Gareth's best bits. And you are allowed to cry, but you have to laugh as well, I think he would have insisted on that." The remainder of the episode focused on some of Gareth's Best Bits from The Frank Skinner Show.  Richards had been performing live since 2004 and expected to take his tenth solo show to a festival in August. In addition to Skinner's radio show, he appeared on Russel Howard's Good News, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 4. His family has not yet announced the details of the funeral. Laura's post also added: "There will be details of the funeral and other ways to remember Gareth to follow, as I know that he was well loved. At the moment the grief is a lot to cope with. Thank you all for your support and kindness." Witnesses are now being sought in connection with the three-car crash. The London Ambulance Service and the air ambulance were called to the scene of the fatal accident, which involved two cars and a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) colliding. Detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are currently investigating and searching for anyone who may have seen the accident or who might possess dashcam footage from the time of the accident.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of