O/T - Linda Smith, 1957-2006

Saddened today on hearing of the death of Linda Smith, a very talented comedian and broadcaster, aged just 48. She'd apparently been suffering from cancer for three and a half years but had decided to keep it private ("She really didn't want people to know. I think she thought that by talking about the cancer she was giving it a platform that she didn't think it deserved." - friend and fellow comedian Jeremy Hardy).

I was a big fan of Linda's deadpan delivery and razor-sharp wit. I'd heard her occasionally on The News Quiz on Radio 4, and seen her on QI and Have I Got News For You, amongst other things, on TV, but I'll remember her most for a handful of classic appearances on the Radio 4 panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (for me, the funniest programme on the radio). In fact, I listened to an ISIHAC show with Linda on it just last night, which makes the sudden news of her death even more poignant for me. I'll miss her south London accent and her random, but heartfelt, rants on the nuances of life, and I'll give that ISIHAC show one more listen as a tribute.

Cheers Linda - you were brilliant.