Barry Humphries funeral: comedian rejects Victoria state funeral on his death bed

Barry Humphries’ son Oscar insisted his family wasn’t ‘snubbing’ the state of Victoria when they rejected the offer of a state funeral in Melbourne. 

However, sources close to the comedian, 89, who was born in Kew, said he gave ‘firm instructions’ on his death bed to reject a Victorian state funeral if offered. 

According to The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the satirist was still bitter about the Melbourne Comedy Festival ‘cancelling’ him for ‘anti-trans’ comments. 

The annual festival, which Humphries co-founded in 1987, receives approximately $7million in funding through the state-funded Creative Victoria body. 

The media personality was still disgruntled by the state’s lack of intervention when he fell out with event organisers in 2019, leading to them dropping him from the festival entirely. 

A furious email from Humphries after he fell out with Melbourne International Comedy Festival organisers recently emerged as the event was inundated with more backlash following his death.

The Aussie icon, best known for his roles as Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, died in Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital surrounded by his family on April 22 following complications from hip surgery.

Humphries helped launch the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1987 and had an award named after him at one stage before he fell out with organisers in 2019 over ‘anti-trans’ comments.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the satirist was still bitter about the Melbourne Comedy Festival ‘cancelling’ him for ‘anti-trans’ comments. Pictured is Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews

A furious email from Humphries after he fell out with Melbourne International Comedy Festival organisers recently emerged as the event was inundated with more backlash following his death 

Organisers dropped a major award in his honour following his comments made a year earlier about transgender people, including that it was a ‘fashion’ fad and that gender reassignment surgery was ‘self-mutilation’.

As organisers of the festival tried to ‘uncancel’ the much-loved entertainer and announce plans for a ‘fitting tribute’, a scathing email emerged from Humphries about being banned by the festival he helped turn into one of the world’s biggest comedy events.

The email was sent in October 2020 after Humphries signed a petition supporting Harry Potter author JK Rowling after she received death and rape threats from trans-activists.

Humphries wrote to petition organiser Graham Lineham and described the backlash against Rowling as a ‘cowardly portrayal’.

Humphries, who is best known for his role as Dame Edna Everage, was disgruntled by the state government’s lack of intervention when he fell out with event organisers in 2019, leading to them dropping him from the festival entirely