Scottish stand-up comedian Stu Who? has died. The comedian, whose real name is Stuart Henderson, passed away on Friday, May 10 after having “been very ill for some time,” his son Kahl confirmed in a statement shared to his father’s Facebook page. Henderson was 74.
“Just a short message to let everyone know that Stu passed away this morning,” Kahl wrote in part. “Just a short message to let everyone know that Stu passed away this morning…At this time we’d greatly appreciate some privacy and time to grieve, this is for Maggi in particular.”
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Henderson suffered numerous health issues, including advanced Crohn’s disease, per The Herald. In November 2023, he also had his bowel removed after being diagnosed with cancer. In January, he updated fans on his health, sharing that “for most of the past year. I’ve been a hospital patient.”
“Could barely talk or communicate at some points and even the slightest movement was painful. Heard patients begging to be put out of their misery and I admit I shared that plea more than once,” he wrote. “Unable to walk, often semi conscious, lying in room, totally on my own, delirious and very unsure about my future / .I honestly thought I was going mad at some points. hallucinating…. what a mess.”
At the time, Henderson said that he suffered from “a Large abcess in my bowel, painful pulmonary embolisms and the eventual removal of most of my bowel,” calling the ordeal “bloody mental.” He shared that he was “still learning to walk again and every day of therapy is a new small victory.” Amid his health struggles, which caused him to be too weak to perform, Henderson’s fellow comedians raised thousands of dollars last year to help Stu Who? with his bills.
Henderson rose to become a legendary Scottish stand-up comedian in 1988 after leaving his job asa warden in a YMCA hostel for “troubled boys,” according to Chortle. He was part of the Funny Farm collective and performed alongside the likes of Bob Monkhouse and Bill Hicks. He was a regular on BBC Radio Scotland, made a cameo in Rab C. Nesbitt in 1990 and had a small part in 2000’s A Shot at Glory, and won the Spirit of Mayfest at the Glasgow Arts Festival.
Paying tribute to the comedy legend, Scottish comedian Ray Bradshaw said he was “absolutely gutted to hear of the passing of scottish comedy legend Stu Who. He always encouraged every new comic on the scene, gave great advice to those breaking through and also told some absolutely ridiculous tales of his past. A maverick.”
According to Henderson’s son, the family is currently in “the very early stages of planning his funeral.” Details will be shared at a later time.
