Teletubbies actor Simon Shelton Barnes, who played Tinky Winky, dies just days before 52nd birthday

MSN/ London Evening Standard ^ | January 23, 2018

[SMGFan]

The actor behind purple Teletubby Tinky Winky, Simon Shelton Barnes, has died just days before his 52nd birthday.

Barnes’ niece Emily Atack – who starred in The Inbetweeners – posted a picture of her uncle on her Instagram page alongside a caption with the sad news.

Atack wrote: “My wonderful uncle Simon Barnes has been taken from us all so suddenly. The kindest and most talented man you could ever wish to meet. Loved by all who knew him, and will be forever. X.” The father-of-three found fame on BBC hit Teletubbies after replacing Dave Thompson as the purple teletubby, with a triangular antenna.

[SMGFan]

The show was first big Christmas 1997 but wasn't it for 3 year olds and younger.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

purple teletubby, with a triangular antenna.

So....uhm....what was the cause of death?

[Mears]

“So....uhm....what was the cause of death?
“

---

Maybe one of his 3 kids would know.

.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

He could have adopted like most gay couples who want kids.

[Mears]

Or he could have his own kids——he had a wife.

.

[Humvee]

Uh, and why exactly is this news?

[Mears]

It isn’t news,it’s a chat.

.

[shibumi]

[SMGFan]

thought I choose “Chat” Arts & Tv,

[Tijeras_Slim]

I’m torn, is Teletubbie better or worse in your obituary than aspiring rapper?

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

That’s the other potential possibility these days

[proxy_user]

He was definitely married and had children. He was a trained ballet dancer and choreographer, but you’d be surprised how many of them are heterosexual.

[Ms Mable]

I saw one video.... they seemed to be unisex? They all tried on a tutu to dance in. They were all very happy.

I found the whole thing to be odd.....

[Roman_War_Criminal]

Jean Claude Van-Damm was a trained ballet dancer as well.
I was just trying to egg the initial joke on.

[Jamestown1630]

I always thought the Teletubbies were cute, despite being a little surreal. They were colorful and bouncy, with pleasant sounds, and seemed to appeal to tiny kids - not much different from the colorful and sometimes musical mobiles that folks put over a baby’s crib.

But my absolute favorite of the kid shows that I saw as an adult, was ‘Oswald’ - (probably for slightly older kids). Clever characters and story-lines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDn2HkcW4jw

[JoeProBono]

[Ezekiel]

Odd:

Tinky Winky froze to death in street: How actor, 52, died from hypothermia after collapsing in Liverpool

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5301651/Tinky-Winky-actor-dies-aged-52.html

[shibumi]

How about the abstract activity inside of SpongeBob’s brain?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utwJ2c_zCaQ

[tumblindice]

`H' is for Hit. Big bird shot? I'm thinking 00.