Comic Ernie Wise dies at 73

British comedian Ernie Wise, who made his name in a legendary double act with the late Eric Morecambe, died yesterday aged 73.

Wise's wife, Doreen, told BBC television he died in a hospital in Slough, west of London.

He suffered a stroke last December while on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate his 73rd birthday and on transfer to a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had two heart attacks. He underwent a triple heart-bypass operation in January.

Born Ernest Wiseman in Leeds, he formed a comic partnership with Morecambe when they were both 15 which lasted until Morecambe's death in 1984.

Wise played the 'straight man' to Morecambe with a gift for comic timing that belied his role as the put-upon man.