Barry Humphries to receive state memorial at Sydney Opera House

Barry Humphries is set receive a state memorial at Sydney Opera House next month.

The late Australian comedian, who died in April this year aged 89, will be publicly farewelled on Friday 15 December at 11am AEST.

“The State Memorial will bring together dignitaries, family, friends and fans of Mr Humphries from across Australia and around the world to celebrate his extraordinary career and achievements,” the New South Wales government confirmed in a statement.

The memorial would give fans the opportunity to pay their respects, with tickets offered via the Sydney Opera House’s website from Friday.

The late comedian played characters including Sir Les Patterson and most notably Dame Edna Everage.

Following his death in April, Barry was remembered by Elton John as the “funniest” and “sweetest man ever”, while Ricky Gervais hailed him as a “comedy genius”.

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese also remembered the icon as “the brightest star”.

“For 89 years, Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone,” he said at the time of the comedian’s passing.

“A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind, he was both gifted and a gift. May he rest in peace.”