The first time Tommy Cannon has been on stage since the passing of his comedic partner, Bobby Ball, he has declared that he will be “constantly looking” for him.
Ball, whom the cartoonist refers to as his “friend for 60 years,” passed away in October 2020 at 76 after contracting Covid-19.
On October 21, Cannon, who resides close to York, will perform at the Junction in Goole, East Yorkshire.
The 84-year-old told the BBC,
“I know he’s looking down and saying, ‘Come on Tommy lad, you can do it’.”
Early in the 1960s, Cannon was employed as a welder at an Oldham factory, where he first met Ball.
The duo, whose real names are Thomas Derbyshire and Robert Harper, began their careers as comics on the northern English cabaret circuit.
They started performing in working-class clubs before becoming stars at the London Palladium and having their own Saturday night ITV show at their peak.
Regarding Ball’s passing, Cannon stated to BBC Look North: “He entered the hospital in a flash, and his son called me in the middle of the week to say, “I don’t think my dad is going to make it; they’ve had to roll him over on his belly.”
“The weekend arrived, and he had died.”
Ball, who lived in Lytham, Lancashire, for more than 20 years and is commemorated by a statue there, was known for saying, “Rock on, Tommy,” while twanging his braces on stage.
Cannon went on:
“I go on stage these days and I’m always looking for him, hoping for him to say “rock on Tommy,” but there’s an emptiness there that won’t ever go gone.
Even thinking about doing it is strange, let alone doing it.
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