Peter Kay: GOOD NEWS for fans of comedy legend after stand-up tour was cancelled
PETER KAY fans were devastated when he had to cancel his tour, but there is a small silver lining for supporters of the comic.
Peter Kay's HILARIOUS garlic bread sketch
Although it seems Kay himself won't take to the stage again for the forseeable future, an exceptionally popular tribute act is quickly earning a reputation as the next best thing.
Lee Lard has seen his popularity skyrocket - and promoters have said he has done a great job of meeting demand for beloved entertainer Kay.
According to the Daily Star, Lard is slated to play an astronomical 200 gigs this year - across Britain, Spain and the Canary Islands.
His city dates even include Bolton - Kay’s homeland.
“To say Lee’s show has bridged a gap is an understatement,” said one promoter.
Thank you to Mr Lee Lard for a great night as our evening compere and auctioneer @LeeLard @JDRFNorth #compere #charityball #fundraising #jdrf #T1D #promiseballnorth pic.twitter.com/H0GMaSqHzi
— JDRF Promise Ball North (@PromiseNorth) November 21, 2017
@LeeLard this Saturday Night - Do not MISS OUT @GCBradford1 #comedy #bradford £15pp plus a free drink on arrival! pic.twitter.com/tElABoveGr
— Grosvenor Bradford (@GCBradford1) March 30, 2015
“He is utterly brilliant and performs a heart-felt tribute to the main man.
“Thanks to Lee thousands of fans are still able to get their Peter Kay fix.”
Lee's manager told The Sun: "Lee has been booking shows for 14 years. He’s the only tribute to Peter Kay in the country and does around 150-200 shows a year."Peter knows Lee well, he appeared in the Amarillo video with him."
Despite his popularity, Lee has just over 300 followers on Twitter - a number that could well swell over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, fans have been concerned for Kay since he pulled the plug on his long-awaited comeback jaunt at the end of last year.
He said at the time: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, I deeply regret that I am having cancel all of my upcoming work projects.
"This unfortunately includes my upcoming stand-up tour, Dance for Life shows and any outstanding live work commitments."
It continued: "My sincerest apologies. This decision has not been taken lightly and I'm sure you'll understand my family must always come first.
"I've always endeavoured to protect my family's privacy from the media. I hope that the media and the public will continue to respect our privacy at this time. Once again, I'm very sorry."
The star never disclosed any further information, and fans were refunded for their purchases.
Before the cancellation, he had told Jonathan Ross: "I am doing a stand-up tour. I haven't done one for eight years because I don't like it.
"It's terrifying standing in front of 14,000 people trying to make them laugh. I don't think I will do another."
Kay has recently been the subject of several death hoaxes as well - with false tweets doing the rounds saying he has passed away.
"I have a source who has claimed #peterKay has died. Due to an illness which is yet not known, media Blackout. Apparent funeral imminent #dead #celeb #comedian #peter #kay #sad," read one.The incorrect posts follow a hoax started by Peter Reid, in which he sparked a frenzy amongst his 139,000 followers by uploading a picture of Kay’s Wikipedia page, stating he had passed away on February 4.One follower responded: “Anybody can change that. Some sick individual though if not true.”“Jesus Peter, don’t believe everything you read on Wiki! It’ll be a Hoax,” exclaimed another.