Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies after warning she was ‘near the end’ of health battle
Date: 2024-11-02COMEDIAN Janey Godley has sadly died aged 63 following a brave ovarian cancer fight.
The Scots comic spent her final days in a hospice after revealing in September that she was receiving end-of-life care.
At the time, she said: “The chemo ran out of options and I just couldn’t take any more of it and the cancer has spread.
“So it looks like this will be getting to near the end of it and it’s really difficult to speak about this and say to people.”
And just weeks later the funnywoman, from Glasgow, passed away surrounded by friends and family.
In a statement, her manager Chris Davis said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client Doctor Janey Godley on 2nd November.
“Janey died peacefully in the wonderful Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow surrounded by her loved ones.
“She will be hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans.
“She will be remembered for her legendary voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, her hilarious and outspoken comedy, but most of all for just being ‘Janey’.”
Janey revealed in September she had been receiving palliative care in a hospice.
Her heartbroken daughter and TV star Ashley Storrie took to social media to hail her beloved mum.
She wrote: “Earlier this morning Janey passed away in her sleep. Her family were with her.
“The love and support from all her friends and fans during this cancer journey brought her enormous joy.
“It has also been a huge comfort to us, her family and close friends, thank you.”
Ms Sturgeon was one of the first to pay tribute to the stand-up who she branded a “force of nature”.
The former First Minister said: “Knowing for the past few weeks that this moment was fast approaching didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to hear the news early this morning that Janey had died.
“Janey Godley truly was a force of nature, and one of the funniest people I have ever known. I was able to visit her in the hospice a couple of weeks ago and though she was fragile, she still had me in stitches.
“Janey was also incredibly kind. And she made the world a better place.
“A bond was forged between us in the darkest days of Covid when her famous voiceovers of my daily briefings went viral.
“In the toughest of times, she made people laugh – and that was precious.
“She did more than that though. In managing to project the serious public health messages of my briefings to a much wider audience than I would have managed alone, she helped save lives.
JANEY GODLEY TIMELINE
BY MATT BENDORIS, Chief Features Writer
- 1961 – Born on January 20 as Janey Currie.
- 1973 – Mum and dad Jim and Annie separate.
- 1980 – Marries Sean Storrie on September 27.
- 1982 – Mum Annie’s “badly bruised†body recovered from the River Clyde.
- 1986 – Only daughter Ashley Storrie is born.
- 1993 – Goes to the police to report historic sexual abuse.
- 1994 – Wins first stand-up comedy contest.
- 1995 – Legally changes surname to Godley.
- 1996 – Uncle David Percy is jailed for two years for historic sexual abuse of Janey and her sister.
- 2001 – Becomes full-time comic.
- 2002 – Wins first major comedy award at New Zealand International Festival.
- 2016 – Earns international attention when she greets Donald Trump at Turnberry with the sign “Trump is a C***â€
- 2020 – Goes viral with her hilarious voice overs of Nicola Sturgeon’s pandemic briefings.
- 2021 – Axed from TV Covid Awareness campaign for historical racist tweets. Diagnosed with cancer.
- 2022 – Announces she is cancer free only for the disease to return later that year.
- 2024 – Tells fans her cancer has spread and she’s going into a hospice before she died earlier this morning
“The photos on this post are from an event we did together last year – it was a special night.
“I was so proud to call Janey a friend and will miss her hugely. My heart goes out to her family and many friends – they are in my thoughts today.
“I know Frank will have been there, holding the door for her as she went – with a tear in his eye, as I have in mine. RIP my friend.”
It comes after a raft of showbiz pals comforted the late comic in her final days.
Two Doors Down fave Elaine C Smith, 66, popped in to see her pal with a stunning bouquet of flowers and gifts including a candle that read “you are beautiful inside and out”.
Elsewhere Janey got a call in her hospice bed from her comedy hero Sit Billy Connolly.
The legendary comic cheered her up with “offensive†and “disgusting swearing.â€
A pal of The Big Yin’s revealed: “Billy was updated on Janey’s sad situation and he just wanted to phone her. I’m so glad his call seems to have cheered her up.â€
Other celebs have rushed online to send their well wishes to the devastated family.
Former Labour spin doctor-turned-telly host Alastair Campbell said: “This is very sad, though we all knew it was coming.”
JANEY'S TOP TRUMPS
BY MATT BENDORIS, Chief Features Writer
THE Scots comic went viral when she staged her own personal protest outside Donald’s Turnberry hotel in 2018 when she held up a sign saying, ‘Trump is a c**t’ as a police officer tried to move her on.
Donald was visiting his Ayrshire resort when he was greeted by the 60-year-old stand-up and her placard with the flowery language. She said: “I think half the world was shocked I used that word.â€
However the notoriously thin-skinned Donald didn’t see the funny side with Janey later claiming he’d put her on a no fly list. She says: “I’ve been barred from travelling to America since I welcomed Trump to Turnberry.â€
First Minister John Swinney commented: “She brought joy and laughter on many occasions when we needed it most. My condolences to her family.”
Scottish musician Midge Ure added: “Gone but never forgotten, what a fighter.”
Larger-than-life Janey entertained the masses during lockdown with a series of viral videos poking fun at Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus news briefings.
The telly star had a close friendship with the former First Minister, who often sent her messages of support during her ill health.
And as well as being an online hit she also appeared in Scots soap River City and the Beeb’s Have I Got News For You.
Born in poverty in Glasgow in 1961, Godley went on to become a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.
The comedian was photographed at Turnberry golf resort with her infamous “unwelcome” sign for Donald Trump in 2016.
In 2023, Godley became the winner of the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
But in September she cancelled a planned tour after her health quickly deteriorated after a bout of sepsis.
Her cancer had been kept at bay through NHS treatment over the last few years but had returned with a few added complications.
