Dame Edna Once Sent A Telex To The Who

UK rock legends The Who have offered a tribute of sorts to their friend, Barry Humphries, the entertainer commonly known as Dame Edna, who passed away a few weeks ago.

In a new social media post, The Who revealed that Humphries had sent them a telex that read, “Please pass this message on to The Who: These kids are just great! And you’ll be hearing a lot more about them, I’ll wager, possums. Not since the exciting sound of Mitch Miller have my shoes been set a-tappin’. Keep it up, Who. You’re a gas. Right on, Dame Edna Everage.”

The colourful telex is accompanied by the caption, “With the recent passing of comedian, actor, painter and satirist Barry Humphries, we were reminded of a telex (remember them?) sent by Dame Edna Everage to The Who on 23 July 1979 just prior to our show at Wembley Stadium on 18 August that summer.” 

The band shared the above telex message, and closed with a touching, “Rest in peace, Barry, Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson.”

Barry Humphries passed away in a Sydney hospital a few weeks ago after complications following hip replacement surgery.

Barry Humphries was born in 1934 in Melbourne, beginning his comedic life at university. 

In 1959, Humphries moved to London where he contributed to the satirical magazine Private Eye with his best-known work being the comic strip The Wonderful World Of Barry McKenzie. He appeared in numerous West End productions, but it was also in London where he perfected his one-man satirical stage revues and introduced the world to characters like Dame Edna Everage. 

Known for her cat eyeglasses and love of gladiolus flowers, Dame Edna reflected an "average Australian housewife", with a back-story that continued to evolve across Humphries' career. 

Dame Edna was an Australian institution, performing many times for the Queen and even gracing the cover of Cleo in 1974. Another of Humphries' most famous characters Sir Les Patterson was "obese, lecherous and offensive", created as Edna's opposite. A boorish and loud-mouthed Labor man, Sir Les was known for his ability to say things that people thought but dared not say in polite company. 

Humphries is remembered as an essential cultural touchstone in Australian society, leaving behind a huge legacy of work, with no less than 23 books, 26 films and eight albums.