Arthur Lowe - Death

Death

In his final years Lowe's alcoholism spiralled out of control and he was reduced to acting in pantomimes and touring theatre productions. Graham Lord's biography recalls that by 1979 Lowe was suffering from major health problems, but continued to drink ever increasing amounts of alcohol, sometimes passing out on stage or at dinner. He was also a heavy smoker and his weight ballooned.

Lowe had long suffered from narcolepsy, collapsing from the onset of a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, on 15 April 1982, before a performance of Home at Seven in which he appeared with wife Joan. He died in hospital early the following morning, aged 66. His last interview was on the live BBC 1 afternoon show Pebble Mill at One only a few hours earlier.

His ashes were scattered at Sutton Coldfield Crematorium following a sparsely attended funeral. Joan herself did not attend as she refused to miss a performance of Home at Seven and, as a result, was appearing in Belfast at the time. A memorial service was held in May 1982 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, attended by his family, former colleagues and many friends. His last sitcom, A J Wentworth, BA, with Lowe as a boys' preparatory school master, was shown during July and August 1982.