Charming, charismatic and with a ready smile, Bert Newton was, for most Australians, the face of television.
And right to the end, his family said, that good humour and quick wit stayed with the man nicknamed “Moonface”, who was and always will be, loved by millions.
Albert “Bert” Watson Newton AM MBE, died on October 30 aged 83 at a private Melbourne hospital after complications from having his leg amputated in May. He is survived by his wife Patti, son Matthew, daughter Lauren and six grandchildren.
“It’s very, very devastating,” Patti told reporters outside the family’s Melbourne home the day after he died.
“I left [him] at ten past seven, and I was just pulling around to come into my drive and I got the call to say he’d taken his last breath at 7.22pm. So I missed him, but maybe he didn’t want me to be there for his last breath.
Albert “Bert” Watson Newton AM MBE, died on October 30 aged 83 at a private Melbourne hospital.
(Image: TV WEEK)“He had such a fabulous attitude. And he gave us so much joy right up to the end.”
Colleagues and friends in the entertainment industry offered their condolences to Bert’s family and recalled their fond memories of him.
“Bert was born to entertain,” entertainment reporter and long-time friend Angela Bishop told TV WEEK. “I learned so much about live television from him – and, as part of a team that now occupies the morning slot that was once his, I am forever grateful.”
“Bert was a master of every form of television,” friend and Millionaire Hot Seat host Eddie McGuire explained. “And what I love was that he was a self-made person… to me, that’s so significant. Everything came from instinct and that was so unique and wonderful.
In 1975, Bert started his second great professional partnership, joining American import Don Lane as his sidekick and “barrel boy” on the popular The Don Lane Show.
(Image: Nine)“America had Johnny Carson, Great Britain had Michael Parkinson, and Australia had Bert Newton.”
“His passing ends the golden era of television in this country,” entertainment writer and TV presenter Richard Wilkins said.
“He was the straight man to Graham Kennedy, he was the funny guy to Don Lane, he was a man in his own right – and to the rest of us following in his wake, he was an absolute inspiration.”
Bert’s career spanned seven decades. It began in 1952, when aged only 12, he was “discovered” by the producers of a radio 3XY program who visited his Boy Scout group. That led to appearances on the station’s Saturday morning children’s show, before he was made a “junior announcer” in 1954 and given his own program, Melbourne Speaks, a year later.
While Bert navigated his career easily, he had battled health problems for nearly a decade.
(Image: Nine)When television was launched in Australia in 1956, Bert was one of the first stars, presenting Channel Seven’s The Late Show before moving to In Melbourne Today on the Nine Network and eventually, the popular In Melbourne Tonight.
It was there that he formed a special partnership with another rising star, Graham Kennedy, and both soon became household names.
It was also where he fell for the love of his life, Patti. The pair had actually met as teenagers on a radio talent show, but, serendipitously, they reunited on In Melbourne Tonight, where Patti performed as a singer and dancer.
The pair briefly separated when Patti went to work overseas. After 18 months apart, Bert secretly boarded the luxury cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II, where Patti was performing, and proposed.
The couple married in Melbourne in November 1974, with Graham at Bert’s side as his best man. Thousands lined the streets and met their arrival at the church. The couple were, and have remained, Australian entertainment royalty.
In 1975, Bert started his second great professional partnership, joining American import Don Lane as his sidekick and “barrel boy” on the popular The Don Lane Show.
“Graham Kennedy was the King Of Television and Bert was, supposedly, his second banana. But has there ever been a better second banana in the history of TV?” television historian Andrew Mercado asks.
By the time The Don Lane Show ended in 1983, Bert was one of Australian entertainment’s biggest names. He spent the next 30 years appearing on or hosting at least 10 high-profile programs on several networks.
“Bert was a giant of our industry, entertaining generations of Australians on our television screens,” Michael Healy, Nine’s Director Of Television, said. “He was loved by us all at Nine.”
Bert and John Foreman, the musical director on Good Morning Australia.
(Image: Ten)For his younger audience, his time on Good Morning Australia from 1992 to 2005 is fondly remembered – another indicator of his broad success across decades. Celebrity guests and viewers found him likeable and funny, his ready humour finding its way into the many sketch characters he played.
“He was the great star of Australian television, an entertainment icon, an incredible talent. His charisma, charm, humour, generosity and ability to entertain provided so much laughter and joy,” Beverley McGarvey, formerly with Network 10 but now Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, said.
Shortly after his exit from Good Morning Australia, the presenter returned to the Nine Network as host of game show Bert’s Family Feud, before fronting the light-hearted retrospective series 20 To 1 from 2006 to 2011.
But while Bert navigated his career easily, he had battled health problems for nearly a decade.
Bert and his wife Patti met as teenagers on a radio talent show, but, serendipitously, they reunited on In Melbourne Tonight.
(Image: Getty)In 2012, he was rushed to hospital for what was then the biggest health scare of his life: heart problems that led to a quadruple bypass. In the years that followed, he was hospitalised a further three times for pneumonia and treated for anaemia.
In November 2020, Bert saw doctors for a toe infection and by May 2021, that infection had spread. In what was described as a “life or death” decision, he gave surgeons permission to amputate his left leg below the knee.
At the time, Patti said her husband had “a big journey ahead of him”, but that he was in good spirits. Until that last stint in hospital, Bert never stopped working, with his television appearances broken up by roles in stage shows such as The Sound Of Music, Wicked and The Rocky Horror Show.
Bert earned multiple awards and honours, was named a Member of the Order Of The British Empire (MBE) and Member Of The Order Of Australia (AM) and was even honoured in a series of stamps issued by Australia Post.
While starring on In Melbourne Tonight, Bertformed a special partnership with another rising star, Graham Kennedy (left).
(Image: Nine)He also won eight TV WEEK Logie Awards, including four Gold Logies as the Most Popular Personality On Australian Television, and hosted or co-hosted the Logie Awards 20 times.
“He was the last TV icon from those early days of television,” historian Andrew Mercado says.
While his absence will be felt in the hearts of many, we’ll forever remember “Mr Logies” as a pillar of gold standards, both on and off screen.
Farewell, Bert.
For more on the life and legacy of Bert Newton, read more below
Here is how you can watch Bert Newton’s state funeral next Friday
Nearly 47 years of bliss: Bert Newton and Patti Newton’s love story in pictures
Keeping up with the Newtons! Bert and Patti Newton’s best family photos
Australian TV royalty: A glimpse at Bert Newton’s career through the years
Farewell to a TV legend: Tributes flood in for Bert Newton after his tragic passing
Matthew Newton will not attend his father Bert’s funeral
