Only Fools and Horses star who died tragically young from a sudden heart attack at 50
Such a sad end for a talented actor
Only Fools and Horses is one of the most iconic TV shows ever produced in the UK, but sadly for fans it’s also fast becoming one of the oldest. Whilst this doesn’t make Del Boy or Rodney’s antics any less funny, it has meant that over the last few years we’ve seen more than a few stars of the classic sitcom sadly pass away.
One of those who went far earlier than his time was a series regular who had initially just been hired as a one-off character for the episodeWho’s a Pretty Boy?. That character was the landlord of Nag’s Head and regular victim of Del’s dodgy deals, Mike Fisher.
Always friendly but slightly slow-witted, among the many of Del’s goods Mike was convinced to buy was a hairdryer that was actually paint-stripper, leaving him with a badly burned head, as well as numerous other faulty appliances.
The man who played Mike though, was Kenneth MacDonald, previously a star of the World War Two sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum , set in Burma, as well as appearing in an episode of Dad’s Army.
Kenneth was born as the son of heavyweight wrestling champ Bill MacDonald, but his dad tragically died aged just 43 when Kenneth was 13 from kidney failure. Earning the name Hamlet as a youngster working in the Kellogg’s Cornflakes factory for his dramatic pursuits, Kenneth was always destined for showbiz.
Despite his role on Only Fools was Mike only planned for one episode, the dynamic between himself and David Jason’s Del Boy was so good that his role was extended all the way up until 1996 when he last appeared in the show before its last season. During this time Mike and the Nag’s Head became key to the lore and history of the Trotters and Only Fools and Horses, and anyone familiar with the show would recognise Kenneth’s face instantly.
In a desperately sad turn of events though, history repeated itself in 2001 while Kenneth was on holiday in Hawaii with his family, suffering a huge heart attack and dying tragically young like his father, aged just 50 at the time.
He left behind his wife Sheila as well as two children, William, then 15, and Charlotte, then just 12. After his sad passing Kenneth’s absence in the new Only Fools episode If They Could See Us Now it was explained that Mike had been imprisoned for embezzlement after getting caught up in more of Del’s dodgy financial dealings, with café owner Sid taking over as Nag’s Head landlord.
