Who died on stage at Sunderland Empire?

Sid James died on the Sunderland Empire while he was performing. He had a heart attack at the Sunderland Empire Theatre.

He was performing alongside actress Olga Lowe. She thought he was playing a practical joke at first when he failed to reply to her dialogue. When he failed to reply to her ad-libs, she moved towards the wing to seek help.

The technical manager, Melvyn James called for the curtain to close and requested a doctor, while the audience who were unaware of what was happening, laughed believing the events to be part of the show.

An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Sunderland Royal Hospital on April 26, 1976. He was 62.