Irish Comedian Dave Allen Dead At 68

Irish Comedian Dave Allen Dead at 68

LONDON - Irish comedian Dave Allen, who delivered his routines sitting on a stool with a cigarette and drink in hand, has died, his agent said. He was 68.

Allen died in his sleep Thursday at his home in west London, Allen's agent, Vivienne Clore, said. The cause of death was not given.

Born David Tynan O'Mahoney in 1936, Allen grew up in Dublin and moved to Britain at the age of 21.

He made his British television debut on Independent Television's' "New Faces'" program in 1959.

His first British TV series, "Tonight With Dave Allen," came in 1967, followed a year later by "The Dave Allen Show."

"Dave Allen At Large" — a mix of monologues and sketches — launched on the British Broadcasting Corp. in 1971 and ran for eight years, becoming one of the most popular comedy shows on television.

Allen's last telelvision series, titled simply "Dave Allen," ended in 1994.