The EastEnders star had a string of private tragedies and ultimately misplaced all of his fortune

He was one among Britain’s most cherished cleaning soap actors however regardless of his fame as one of the crucial recognisable faces on tv, this star misplaced every part.

Beneath the trademark trilby and mischievous smile of EastEnders ‘ loveable rogue Frank Butcher, Mike Reid’s actual life was significantly extra chaotic than his on-screen persona.

The comedian-turned-actor climbed from the East Finish comedy membership scene to attain nationwide fame, but a collection of devastating private losses and catastrophic monetary issues in the end destroyed him.

When he handed away in 2007, at solely 67-years-old, Reid had been stripped of his wealth and, as he himself put it, “every part that mattered.”

Born in Hackney, East London in 1940, Reid got here from humble beginnings and left schooling at an early age.

Previous to his breakthrough in leisure, he lived a assorted life that allegedly concerned minor prison exercise and, most notably, associations with East Finish gangland personalities together with the Kray twins.

His preliminary profession noticed him working as a stuntman on productions together with The Soiled Dozen and the James Bond parody On line casino Royale all through the Nineteen Sixties, earlier than transitioning into comedy.

His razor-sharp wit and rapid-fire comedian timing rapidly gained over crowds on the stand-up scene.

By the beginning of the Nineteen Seventies, he’d grow to be a recognisable face nationwide, showing on ITV’s The Comedians. Throughout the programme’s peak reputation, it delivered him widespread recognition and established his status as a straight-talking entertainer together with his unmistakable cockney persona.

In 1987, Reid secured the half that might come to outline his complete profession – Frank Butcher in EastEnders. Introduced in initially as a part-time function, Frank grew to become a daily the next 12 months after shopping for the Queen Vic from Den Watts.

Along with his signature trilby hat, flamboyant outfits, and rapid-fire speech, Butcher swiftly emerged as one of many present’s most iconic characters.

Reid’s real-life persona steadily merged together with his tv counterpart.

He confessed that portraying Frank’s psychological breakdown storyline in the course of the mid-Nineties proved so draining that he skilled nervousness himself and left the programme for over a 12 months.

Nonetheless, he made a number of comebacks, with Frank’s stormy relationships with Pat (Pam St Clement) and Peggy ( Barbara Windsor ) rating amongst the cleaning soap’s highest-rated moments.

Exterior EastEnders, Reid pursued his appearing profession, that includes in Man Ritchie’s Snatch as diamond service provider Doug “The Head” and in quite a few lower-budget productions.

He additionally saved his ties to the cabaret scene, the place his background in stand-up comedy remained integral to his performances.

While Reid’s skilled life delivered fame and monetary safety, his private circumstances had been scarred by a collection of devastating occasions. In 1990, his youngest son Mark, who had been battling critical psychological well being issues for years, fatally shot a pal.

He subsequently set hearth to himself and died from his wounds. “It’s my true and sincere perception that Mark had gone to scare his mate by firing on the wall beside him however as an alternative shot him point-blank within the coronary heart,” Reid wrote in his autobiography T’riffic.

“The taking pictures may need been intentional however the finish outcome wasn’t. I do know Mark was clear-headed sufficient to ring his mum then return to Ian to attempt to staunch the blood with towels. It was no good as a result of the poor lad should have been lifeless earlier than he hit the bottom.

“As time went on after Ian’s loss of life, it appeared Mark obtained it into his head that he’d prompted a lot struggling to others, he ought to inflict as a lot as doable on himself.”

He mentioned: “Mark killed himself in probably the most horrible means you might think about.”

Months later, Reid’s granddaughter – Mark’s daughter – tragically died from cot loss of life.

Years earlier, his first baby had handed away simply 5 days after start.

Reid spoke overtly about how these devastating losses affected him, acknowledging that the anguish by no means actually disappears: “Folks should see me on TV or in cabaret laughing, singing, cracking gags and picture that point has healed the ache and the scars. If solely they knew. My son is locked away inside – not forgotten, simply hidden away in what half we preserve our personal grief. In any other case I could not operate.”

Reid’s funds additionally collapsed. A disastrous funding in Spain destroyed a considerable portion of his fortune, plunging not solely him but additionally members of his wider household into monetary hardship. Regardless of medical recommendation, Reid was a heavy smoker all through most of his life.

In July 2007, while dwelling in Marbella, Spain, he tragically handed away on the age of 67 because of a suspected coronary heart assault. This occurred simply weeks after he had been given an all-clear following a complete medical examination.

Regardless of a long-standing profession within the leisure trade, which encompassed prime-time tv roles and worthwhile comedy excursions, he sadly handed away in 2007 with minimal funds remaining.

Reid’s funeral was held at Little Easton Parish Church in Essex and noticed over 250 attendees, together with quite a few former EastEnders colleagues similar to Pam St Clement, Barbara Windsor, June Brown, and Sid Owen. Followers had been additionally invited to pay their respects, reflecting the general public’s affection for him.

The BBC devoted an episode of EastEnders to his reminiscence, a becoming tribute to the actor who contributed a lot to the cleaning soap.