Who has died from Gogglebox? Everything you need to know about Gogglebox star Andy Michael as he dies at 61

Andy Michael, a star on Channel 4’s Gogglebox along with the rest of the Michael family, has passed away at the age of 61.

Channel 4 tweeted a statement today (26 August) to announce the death of Gogglebox star Andy Michael, saying that he had passed away following a short illness last weekend.

The statement posted by Channel 4’s Gogglebox account read: “We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Gogglebox star Andy Michael at the age of 61 following a short illness.

“Andy passed away last weekend with this family by his side.

“Retired hotelier Andy, who brought much wit and insight to Gogglebox, was one of the show’s original cast members, appearing in the very first episode in 2013."

It added: “Beloved father to Katy, Alex, Pascal & Louis, and cherished husband of Carolyne, Andy was a much loved and respected member of the Gogglebox family and he will be very sadly missed.

“Our love and thoughts are with Carolyne and the entire family.

“The family have asked for privacy at this very sad time.”

The death of the Gogglebox star comes just four days after it was announced that 92-year-old Mary Cook, another Gogglebox star, had passed away.

Who was Andy Michael?

61-year-old Andy Michael lived with his wife and their four children in Brighton, Sussex.

Having starred on the show for two years, he and his family were beloved by many UK viewers for their lighthearted disagreements and witty remarks on British television programmes each week.

Michael and wife Carolyne reportedly met in 1985 while on an English teaching course taught at a hotel in Hove, with Michael taking the course as a hotelier trying to make use of his spare time.

How long had Michael starred on Gogglebox?

Andy Michael and his family will be well known to anyone who has watched Gogglebox, with he and his wife Carolyne appearing on the show with their children Louis and Alex in its very first episode.

But the Michael family left the Channel 4 show in 2014 as Andy Michael announced he would be running as an MP for UKIP in Hastings and Rye during the 2015 General Election.

The decision to run as a UKIP candidate meant that the family had to leave the show, as Channel 4 declared that Michael should not be permitted to offer the witty commentary of UK events and news broadcast on TV and run to be an MP at the same time.

A Channel 4 spokesperson at the time stated that “any Gogglebox cast member who becomes a candidate for a political party will have to step down from their involvement in Gogglebox.”

Michael was unsuccessful in his campaign to win the Hastings and Rye seat in 2015, which was declared for former Home Secretary and Conservative MP Amber Rudd, gaining 13.3% of the vote in the southern English constituency.

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