Comedian Janey Godley dies 'surrounded by her loved ones'

Comedian Janey Godley has died in hospital aged 63.

Ms Godley, who had been suffering from cancer, was “surrounded by her loved ones” when she passed away.

Her daughter, Ashley Storrie, said her mum died “peacefully” around 7am at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow.

First Minister John Swinney was among the first to pay tribute to Ms Godley, who won a nation of fan’s during the pandemic with her daily takes on Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus briefings.

Mr Swinney said: “Very sorry to hear of the death of Janey Godley. She brought joy and laugher on many occasions when we needed it most. My condolences to her family. May she rest in peace.”

Ms Storrie, in a video posted on X, this morning said: “Hello friends. My mum Janey Godley died this morning, at about 7, and she was surrounded by friends and family.

“ I wanted to tell you face-to-face because it felt very much like what she would have wanted. She went peacefully and I wanted to say thank you to all the staff at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice and a big thank you to my mum’s found family who were around her throughout these last horrible days, my auntie Elaine, my auntie Monica, Shirley, Giovanna, Tony Kelly, my daddy, Honey, Julia Sutherland.

“Thank you so much for being there and for making a very, very scary moment peaceful and a nice transition. And I want to thank all of you for all of your kindness and support and I believe in my heart of hearts that she felt every bit of love you sent her and I think it kept her going.

“I think genuinely we got her longer because of all of the support and love in the world.

“But that is it. It is over now and thank you once again. Bye ma.”

And in a nod to Ms Godley’s dubbed coronavirus briefings, Ms Storrie said: “Frank, get the door.”

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the news of Ms Godley’s death was “heartbreaking”.

Ms Sturgeon said she visited Ms Godley at the hospice a couple of weeks ago and, although fragile, still “had her in stitches”.

She added: “Janey Godley truly was a force of nature and one of the funniest people I have ever known.

“Janey was also incredibly kind. And she made the world a better place. A bond was forged between us in the darkest days of Covid when her famous voiceovers of my daily briefings went viral.

“In the toughest of times, she made people laugh - and that was precious.

“She did more than that though. In managing to project the serious public health messages of my briefings to a much wider audience than I would have managed alone, she helped save lives.”

Ms Sturgeon added: “I was so proud to call Janey a friend and will miss her hugely. My heart goes out to her family and many friends - they are in my thoughts today.

“I know Frank will have been there, holding the door for as she went - with a tear in his eye - as I have in mine. RIP my friend.”

Ms Storrie said on Thursday her mum was in the “final beats of her life”.

On the same day, Ms Godley was awarded an honorary degree from the University Of Glasgow, which her daugher said had “brought her so much joy” in her final days.

Janey Godley has died aged 63. | Janey Godley/PA

Ms Godley revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021, but was given the all-clear in 2022 after a scan showed “no evidence of disease”.

However, she later announced another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen but added that she would continue touring.

Last month, she cancelled her forthcoming tour this autumn due to her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been kept at bay through NHS treatment over the last few years and had returned with a few added complications.

Announcing that she would be getting palliative care and going into a hospice in a video shared to social media,Godleythanked the NHS and those who have cared for her as well as her family, friends and fans for their support.

In the video, she said “the chemo ran out of options” and that she “just couldn’t take any more of it” after the cancer spread.

She went on to say she was “getting to near the end of it” and that “it’s really difficult to speak about this and say to people”.

Born in poverty in Glasgow in 1961,Godleywent on to become a regular co-presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.

The comedian was photographed at Turnberry golf resort with her “unwelcome” sign for Donald Trump in 2016.

In 2023,Godleybecame the winner of the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Her daughter has also worked as a stand-up comedian and stars in the BBC Three television series Dinosaur, which she also co-created.