John Clarke, satirist and comedian, dies aged 68

The comedian and satirist John Clarke has died aged 68.

An ABC spokesman said Clarke had died of natural causes while hiking in Victoria’s Grampians national park at the weekend.

Clarke has been a fixture on Australian commercial and public television for more than three decades, from regular satirical spots on news shows to scripted comedy and features.

He was a prolific scriptwriter and actor and either appeared in or worked on classic screen favourites including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Footrot Flats, Death in Brunswick and Spotswood.

Between 1985 and 1986 he created the groundbreaking TV comedy The Gillies Report with Max Gillies and Patrick Cook, and then began his long-term partnership with Dawe on Nine’s A Current Affair.

That weekly satirical segment at GTV 9 was wildly popular and ran between 1989 and 1996 before migrating to the ABC’s 7.30 Report, where Clarke continued satirising the country’s politicians for more than 20 years.

The pair’s last contribution together, on the government’s company tax cuts, was broadcast on Thursday.

Clarke’s family said he had died on Sunday while walking with his wife, Helen.

“John died doing one of the things he loved the most in the world, taking photos of birds in beautiful bushland with his wife and friends,” his family said. “He is forever in our hearts.”

Clarke is survived by his two daughters, Loren and Lucia, grand-children Claudia and Charles and son-in-law Stewart Thorn.

“We are aware of what he has meant to so many for so many years, throughout the world but especially in Australia and New Zealand,” the family said. “We are very grateful for all expressions of sympathy and love which John would have greatly appreciated.”

Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement on Facebook that Clarke “understood the very essence of Australia” and his satire “made our democracy richer and stronger”.

“His laconic wit was rarely wide of the mark. I should know. With lethal accuracy he made politicians and prime ministers his prey,”

The ABC said Clarke had been a greatly admired and loved figure on the national stage.

“The writer and performer for three decades alongside his partner Bryan Dawe offered insightful and cutting satirical commentary on issues of national importance,” the broadcaster said.

“From the 1970s when he introduced Australian audiences to his character Fred Dagg from his native New Zealand, to his work on The Gillies Report and The Games, John Clarke was a central figure in Australian comedy and satire.”

The ABC’s managing director, Michelle Guthrie, said the unexpected loss of Clarke would be felt by “everyone at the ABC and by audiences across the country who had come to love his biting sense of humour”.

“Australian audiences have relied on John Clarke for always getting to the heart of how many Australians felt about the politics of the day and tearing down the hypocrisy and at times absurdity of elements of our national debate,” Guthrie said.

“We have lost a giant presence on our screens. Our hearts go to John’s family, his wife, Helen, and two daughters, Lorin and Lucia.”

Nine’s director of news, Darren Wick, said everyone at Nine was saddened to hear of Clarke’s death.

“John, along with his partner in satire, Bryan Dawe, entertained audiences on A Current Affair between 1989 to 1997, in the days of Mike Willesee and Jana Wendt hosting the program,” Wick said.

“Our sincere condolences go to his family at this time. John was truly one of the most memorable and much-loved people on Australian television and at Nine we will remember him fondly. His commentary and wit on political matters will be missed greatly by audiences across the country.”

A household name in Australia and New Zealand, Clarke was inducted into the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame in 2008.

He appeared in The Ex-PM for the ABC with Shaun Micallef between 2015 and 2017, wrote the ABC’s Mental Health Live Broadcast in 2014 and appeared in the documentary Stop Laughing … This Is Serious about Australian comedy in the same year.

Clarke was also much loved in his native New Zealand, where he created the comic character Fred Dagg.

He also co-wrote and starred in The Games, satirising the preparations for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Born in New Zealand in 1948, Clarke spent time in London in the early 1970s before arriving in Australia in 1977 and writing for touring performers including Danny Le Rue, Bette Midler and Peter Allen.

Politicians, former colleagues and media personalities expressed their dismay at the news on social media.