John Inman - Later Years

Later Years

John Inman was a proficient golfer, with a handicap of 3. After the end of Are You Being Served?, Inman became one of the nation's best known pantomime dames and appeared in over 40 pantomimes across the United Kingdom. He also toured to Australia to star in a number of productions including Bedside Manners (2003) and a revival of Are You Being Served? (2001) as a stage show at Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane. In 2004, Inman made additional television appearances in Doctors and Revolver.

He lived in a mews house in Little Venice for 30 years. On 23 December 2005, Inman entered into a civil partnership at Westminster Register Office with his partner of 33 years (at the time), Ron Lynch.

Inman suffered from poor health in his later years. He was hospitalised with bronchitis in 1993, and collapsed on the stage in 1995. He was admitted to Paddington's St Mary's Hospital in 2001 after suffering breathing difficulties and spent three days in intensive care.

In December 2004, Inman was forced to cancel an appearance in a pantomime as he was suffering from a hepatitis A infection, which he had contracted from contaminated food. Following this, he never worked again and he suffered complications from the infection for the rest of his life. Inman died early in the morning of 8 March 2007, aged 71, in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, of the infection. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium after a funeral on 23 March 2007. It was reported in July 2007 that Inman left nearly his entire estate, including more than £2.8m, to his partner Ron Lynch. The only other portion of his estate given to someone else was a £5,000 bequest to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund. The Daily Mail newspaper said at the time that Inman's "estate is believed to be the highest profile will of a gay man in a civil partnership since the ceremonies became legal in 2005".