Australian TV legend Bert Newton has died aged 83 following a lengthy health battle, it has been confirmed.
WATCH BELOW: Patti Newton provides update on Bert’s health battle
He is survived by wife Patti Newton and their two children, Lauren and Matthew.
The beloved star had been battling ill health for some time and had his leg amputated earlier this year following complications from an infected toe.
He boasted a lengthy broadcasting career and never formally retired, hosting the TV WEEK Logie Awards as recently as 2018.
Other notable Australian figures reacted to the news as it broke late on Saturday night.
Reported and longtime friend of Bert’s Peter Ford took to Twitter with a moving tribute, writing: “I have very sad news …. Showbiz icon Bert Newton has died at age 83.
“It was remarkable career on TV, stage & radio. Sadly he didn’t get the last chapter he deserved. He was a great mentor & friend to me.
“Condolences to Patti,Lauren,Matthew & extended family.”
Wife Patti had shared an update on her husband’s health last week, posting a touching photo from hospital.
The 76-year-old took to Instagram with a snap of Bert in a hospital bed surrounded by their grandchildren.
“That’s what happiness is,” Patti captioned the adorable image, which was taken while Bert was resting post-surgery.
She has not yet commented publicly on her husband’s sad passing, but Peter Ford shared the photo to Twitter and said it was one of the last ever taken of Bert.
“This was just one week ago exactly. If it’s to be the last ever pic taken of you it’s a bloody ripper!” he wrote.
“Smiling and with his adored grandkids. He never stop fighting until the very end.”
Bert made his small-screen debut in 1957 working alongside Graham Kennedy on In Melbourne Tonight and went on to dominate just about every era of Australian television.
In 1989, Bert began hosting The Bert Newton Show, before going on to host Good Morning Australia.
Despite pocketing an eye-watering 15 TV WEEK Logie Awards over the years, Patti actually won her very own Logie years before her husband in 1967, for Most Popular Female in Victoria.
But it was family life that meant the most to Bert, who revealed how much time with his grandchildren meant to him before he passed.
“They wouldn’t realise it at the moment, but they have made this one of the happiest times of my life,” he told the Herald Sun.
“There is that old saying, the wonderful thing about being a grandfather, or grandparent, is that you give the kids back. But in the case of Patti and myself, we don’t want to.”
This story originally appeared on our sister site, Now To Love.
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