Comedian Bernard Manning dies at 76

Manning, whose brand of humour stirred up accusations of racism, was rushed to hospital with a kidney problem two weeks ago. A spokesman for North Manchester General Hospital said: "He died here at 3.10pm."

Until ill-health took hold, he had continued to entertain audiences in clubs despite being cold-shouldered by the TV industry.

The comedian denied being a racist, saying: "You never take a joke seriously. It's a joke. We have to tell jokes about everything and everyone."

He recently attended his own 'wake' - a gathering of 600 friends and fans in Manchester, to celebrate his life for a proposed TV show called This Was Your Life.

He heard tributes from colleagues but told the audience, "I'm going to be with you for a long time yet!"

Manning was set on the path to fame with a 1971 Granada TV series, The Comedians, based on an act developed at his club. He was born in 1930 in Ancoats, one of Manchester's poorest suburbs, the second of three brothers and two sisters.

Manning, who had an Irish-Catholic background and also claimed Jewish roots, left school at 14 to work in a tobacco factory, and then in his father's greengrocers.

He only decided to go into the entertainment business after doing national service in Germany, and singing to comrades to pass the time. Manning went on to become a singer with the Oscar Rabin band, and made his TV debut on The Comedians. But he fell out of favour in the 80s and was replaced by more politically correct comedians.

Frank Carson, who worked with Manning on The Comedians, defended his brand of humour, saying: "The only people that misunderstood him were those people who didn't have a sense of humour. We had a great laugh together. That sense of humour overpowered everyone. He put bums on seats. Everyone loved Bernard. At the end he was still a very funny man. Bernard Manning was a legend. There will have to be a statue of Bernard Manning and I will be the first to throw bricks at him," he joked.