Simon Shelton, the actor who played Tinky Winky on Teletubbies, has died at age 52.
Shelton, who embodied the purple Teletubby on the BBC show from 1997 to 2001, reportedly passed away on Jan. 17. His niece, who stars in the U.K. series The Inbetweeners, posted a tribute on Instagram and said he was taken “so suddenly.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeIZV9xHx8t/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_legacy
Shelton, also known as Simon Shelton Barnes, nabbed the Tinky Winky role after Dave Thompson was fired in 1997 for his “interpretation” of the character. Shelton weathered controversial times, too. In 1999, Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell wrote about Tinky Winky in National Liberty Journal, claiming the character’s color is a “gay-pride color” and that its triangle-shaped antenna is a “gay-pride symbol.”
“People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay,” Barnes said. “But the character is supposed to be a 3-year-old so the question is really quite silly.”
Teletubbies survived in the internet age, most notably as an unconventional template for subversive mashups. But its influence snuck into other parts of pop culture, too.
Very sad to hear that actor Simon Shelton, who played Tinky Winky in the late 90’s, has sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Big hugs. pic.twitter.com/nBofxSYFLd
— Teletubbies (@TeletubbiesHQ) January 23, 2018
The show’s original producer, Ragdoll Productions, said in a statement: “We will always remember Simon Shelton. He was such a joy to work with, which was clear from the fun and energy that came through the screen, in all of his performances as Tinky Winky.”
A cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Shelton is survived by three children.
H/T TMZ
