Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne (31 May 1955 – 3 August 2019) was an English singer and impressionist. He performed on stage, television and released three platinum albums. Longthorne started his TV career at the age of fourteen when he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series Junior Showtime, and rose to popularity in 1981 through the London Weekend Television series Search For a Star, leading to his own television series The Joe Longthorne Show.
Early life
Longthorne was born in Hull, England, into a musical family
Longthorne won a talent show when he was six; his prize was a toy motor car. At fourteen, he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series Junior Showtime, and remained with the show for over two years. He later turned professional and earned a living in working men's clubs in Northern England.
Television
Longthorne appeared on television in 1981, through the London Weekend Television series Search For a Star, He played the London Palladium many times.
Longthorne appeared regularly on several TV programmes in the 1980s, including The Les Dennis Laughter Show and The Royal Variety Performance.
Longthorne was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to charity.
Personal life and death
Longthorne lived in Blackpool, Lancashire, with his husband<!--note: BBC obituary says "husband"--> and manager James Moran. and had a son, Ricky, from a previous relationship; the two were estranged for 17 years, until reuniting in 2009.
Longthorne was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic lymphoma, for which he received treatment, around the time of his appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 1989.<!--- COMMENT OUT UNSOURCED CONTENT UNTIL A RELIABLE SOURCE IS ADDED Longthorne was Catholic and at one stage in 2005 received the last rites during his treatment. His body weakened after 11 years of chemotherapy, he claims Jesus told him not to give up on life. --> In 2014, Longthorne was found to have throat cancer, but remained adamant in newspaper interviews that he would continue to perform after his operation. In 2023, a clip of Longthorne performing "Morning of My Life" was watched on a Twitch stream by Scottish comedian Limmy, who introduced a new generation of listeners to Longthorne in doing so. Longthorne's newfound posthumous cult following led to the creation of the Instagram account @morningofmylifedaily, which reposts clips of Longthorne hitting the high note in "Morning of My Life" in live performances every day. The account has accumulated over 30,000 followers.
Albums
- Only Once
- The Singer
- Live at the Royal Albert Hall
- The Joe Longthorne Songbook
- The Christmas Album
- Especially For You
- The Joe Longthorne Christmas (2013)
- Joe Longthorne: the Christmas Album and his biggest hit "Passing Strangers" a duet with Liz Dawn which peaked at #34
Bibliography
- Joe Longthorne – Sugar in the Morning: The Autobiography (2015)