1. Don Estelle was an English actor and singer, best known as Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
10 Facts About Don Estelle
1. 2.
Don Estelle met the actor Windsor Davies in 1962 at the Garrick Theatre in London and the two men formed an act which toured theatres and clubs for four years.
3.
Don Estelle eventually gained the role of Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in the sitcom It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, which was first broadcast in January 1974 and ran until September 1981, reuniting him with Davies, whose sergeant major character often mocked Lofty in the storylines.
4.
Don Estelle had a powerful tenor voice, and achieved a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with a semi-comic version of "Whispering Grass", followed by a cover of "Paper Doll" which reached number 41, and a top ten LP, Sing Lofty, all three recorded with Windsor Davies.
5.
Don Estelle acted in the films Not Now, Comrade and A Private Function, in addition to Santa Claus: The Movie alongside Melvyn Hayes, who appeared in It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
6.
Don Estelle produced a duo recording with Sir Cyril Smith, by then the former MP for Rochdale.
7.
Don Estelle was extremely generous with time, his resources, and a shortbread that he loved made for him by a local friend.
8.
Beyond reuniting with family and friends, the reasons for Don Estelle's UK visit were twofold.
9.
Don Estelle needed a liver transplant, but he became too weak for doctors to operate.
10.
Don Estelle died in Rochdale Infirmary on 2 August 2003, and was buried in Rochdale with the oversized pith helmet he wore as Gunner "Lofty" Sugden.