One of America's best- known comedians, Rivers is considered a pioneer for women in stand-up comedy.

Some of Britain's best- known comedians performed at a show in aid of a campaign to free a convicted IRA bomber.

And if unmasked, he said no-one would recognise him or his writing partner, despite some speculation that they could be well- known comedians.

He starred in a number of successful television comedy specials in the 1980s, and was one of that decade's best known comedians.

Your career took off at the same time as a number of other well known comedians including Greg Fleet, Tim Smith, Mick Molloy and Rove.

Shimura, 70, one of Japan's best- known comedians with a career dating back to the early 1970s, reportedly had surgery for pneumonia in 2016.