Frank Carson: Comedian, Actor Dies at 85 After Battle With Stomach Cancer

Frank Carson, a Northern Irish comedian and actor, best known for his catchphrases "It's a cracker!" and "It's the way I tell 'em!” has died Wednesday, aged 85, after a long battle with stomach cancer.

Carson spokesperson Wednesday confirmed that the comedian passed away at his Blackpool home in Lancashire.

“The husband, father, Gaga and comedian set off his final gig day today,” his family said in a statement.

"He went peacefully at his home in Blackpool surrounded by his greatest fans - his extended family. We will be taking him home to Belfast to lay him to rest and celebrate his joyful life. It's quieter down here now. God help them up there!!"

The comedian rose to fame in the 1960s after winning the national favourite talent show Opportunity Knocks, presented by Hughie Green, three times.

Northern Irish journalist and broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, Carson’s long-term friend, told BBC: "We will never ever see his like again."

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"The term legend is often overused - but Frank Carson was a legend and we will never ever see his likes again."

Last year, the Belfast-born actor had a successful operation to remove stomach cancer but had told BBC that his health had been a problem for some time.

Carson grew up in “Little Italy area of Belfast and attended St Patrick's Primary School. Before starting his acting career Carson worked as an electrician and plasterer in the building trade.

Before moving to England to work as a stand-up comedian, Carson became popular on Irish television.

He is outlived by his wife Ruth, daughter Majella and two sons Tony and Aidan, along with ten grandchildren.

Trevor Carson, Carson’s nephew, and a football goalkeeper from Sunderland said that "After a lengthy and wearisome illness, my uncle, friend, and hero has passed on to join the great comedy legends of our generation."

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