ONE of comedy legend Tommy Cooper’s iconic fez hats is expected to sell for £3,000 at auction. The legendary comic wearing one when he died in 1984 following a heart attack on a live TV show. During the Second World War Cooper would perform in a British Army pith helmet. But moments before going on […]
ONE of comedy legend Tommy Cooper’s iconic fez hats is expected to sell for £3,000 at auction.
The legendary comic wearing one when he died in 1984 following a heart attack on a live TV show.
During the Second World War Cooper would perform in a British Army pith helmet.
But moments before going on stage in Cairo he found he had lost the helmet, so grabbed a fez from the head of a passing Egyptian waiter.
The fez goes under the hammer at East Bristol Auctions on May 28 – expected to fetch around £3000.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said: “There are few iconic items in popular culture.
“But Tommy Cooper’s fez is one of those instantly recognisable items.
“One sees a fez, and immediate thinks of Cooper.”
“This fez represents and large faction of British comedy history. It’s as important to our heritage as Jimi Hendrix’s guitar, or Winston Churchill’s cigar.
“Just to think of the number of laughs that this very hat gave people is incredible. Cooper entertained millions, and this fez was all part of it.”
The fez is made of red felt, with a black tassel to top and was made by Lambrani Freres – well known suppliers to the comedian – and it still retains its original floral lining.
The trademark fez was given to the current owner’s late father by Cooper after a performance at the Stardust Variety Club in Usk, South Wales, during the early 1970s.
