Benny was one of the most famous British TV comedy stars. His shows went global and his cheeky sexy 1970s jokes and great humorous songs made the man a legend. He worked for the BBC before transferring to Thames Television where The Benny Hill Show became a huge money earner for the network.
Benny was born in 1924 in Southampton. He actually also appeared in the 1969 film The Italian Job, but was far better known for his TV appearances and his cheeky songs. Benny had several songs chart in the 1960s including the amusing Harvest Of Love.
But it was 1971 when he scored a No. 1 with Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West, a song about a milkman that Benny could relate to as he used to be a milkman. It is all about a battle between milkman Ernie and Ted who drove the Bakers van. Sorry to say Ernie died in the song.
Benny himself lived alone in London. He was known to be gay and lonely. He also suffered a heart attack in 1992 and was told he needed a bypass, but for some reason Benny declined and a week later he suffered Kidney failure and died in April of that year.
