Father Ted actor Ben Keaton has died aged 70. Keaton, who played Father Austin Purcell in the cherished comedy series, alongside roles in Casualty and Doctors, passed away at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday, it has been confirmed, The Mirror reports.

His death notice states: “Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.”

Paying tribute, the Nottingham Playhouse remarked: “We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”

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Meanwhile, a Father Ted fan X account posted: “Saddened to hear of the passing of actor Ben Keaton. We knew him as Father Austin Purcell (one of my favourite one-off characters). He was a regular at ComicCon events, so I imagine many got to meet him over the years. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and many fans.”

Beyond his television career, the Irishman was an accomplished stage performer. He devoted much of his professional career to The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, featuring in a diverse range of productions from American Buffalo to Hay Fever.

A multi-talented performer, he co-founded the improv collective South Of The River and held a senior role at the Creative Academy. His trophy cabinet demonstrated his versatility, featuring the 1986 Perrier Comedy Award and two Best Actor honours from the Manchester Evening News, before earning a nomination for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards.

Paying tribute to him in a post on X (formerly Twitter), one fan penned: “RIP Ben Keaton. A great actor and comedian – there can be little praise higher (if at all) in that he stole the scene every time he appeared in Father Ted. Off to the great parochial house in the sky.”

In 2022, Keaton experienced an unforeseen explosion in online fame after being mobbed by supporters requesting autographs at the CovCon event in Coventry. The excitement escalated when he teamed up with fellow Father Ted cast members Joe Rooney (Father Damo), Michael Redmond (Father Stone), and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) to record an unplanned TikTok video.

Reflecting on the viral phenomenon, Keaton told The Irish Sun: “The video went from 500 views to 50,000 and up and up. Joe now says we are up at half a million views on TikTok. It’s incredible.” H

e admitted he was regularly amazed by the enduring legacy of his brief, scene-stealing performance as the world’s most boring priest. Drawing parallels to his other performances, Keaton observed: “I appeared in Casualty for three years, nobody cares. I did three minutes on Father Ted and it’s all people want to talk about and something which just sails through time.”