TV legend Bert Newton dies aged 83: Australia’s king of entertainment loses long battle with health seven months after being admitted to hospital following a leg amputation
Australian television and radio legend Bert Newton has died at the age of 83.
He passed away on Saturday night having suffered a long health battle which led to one of his legs being amputated.
The TV personality is survived by his wife Patti, his two kids and six grandchildren.
He had been receiving palliative care at a clinic in Melbourne at the time of his death.
Newton had earlier undergone the surgery on his leg due to a toe infection that had forced him to be admitted to hospital in March.
Australian television legend Bert Newton has died at the age of 83
The TV personality is survived by his wife Patti, his two kids and six grandchildren
At the time of his surgery, Patti, his wife of 47 years, told The Daily Telegraph she had ‘never seen anybody in more pain’ than her husband on the morning of his operation.
She added: ‘I just felt he could not go through pain like he was going through for much longer.’
Bert went into surgery at 7.50am on May 8 and Patti learned it had been a success at 3pm. ‘It was a long day and a long wait,’ she said.
Patti, 76, also spoke of her husband’s fighting spirit, saying the grandfather of six agreed to the life-changing surgery because ‘he has so much to live for’.
‘This is not a death sentence,’ she said, adding: ‘He is lucky; he has got family all around him. The grandkids mean the world to him.’
On October 24, Patti posted a photo of a beaming Bert recovering in his hospital bed while surrounded by five of his grandchildren.
‘That’s what happiness is,’ Patti captioned the photo.
Bert’s daughter Lauren Newton has six children: Sam, 11, Eva, nine, Lola, six, Monty, two, Perla, 19 months, and newborn son, Alby.
More to come.