Actress and comedian Janey Godley died on 2 November at the age of 63 from ovarian cancer.
She was born in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and grew up in Glasgow.
Godley began her stand-up career in 1994 and in 2002 she won an award for the “Best Show Concept” at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. She was later nominated for “Best International Guest” by the New Zealand Comedy Guild several times.
Godley was best known for her TV appearances in Have I Got News For You and her voice-over videos of then, first minister, Nicola Sturgeon during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh commended Godley’s videos for helping engage the public with the warnings. After which, she won the Scots Language Award’s Speaker of the Year Award.
In 2011 Godley came under fire for racist and ableist tweets she had made earlier in her life. Uncovered by The Daily Beast in 2021, these include insults directed towards those with disabilities and the Chernobyl disaster. There were also racial insults towards African American musicians Kelly Rowland, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.
Godley apologised, saying she was “ashamed of her tweets.”
Godley was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer later that year.
When her death was announced, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was amongst the first to pay tribute to her.
Godley’s hearse will travel through Edinburgh, her “beloved festival home,” on 29November, before travelling “home to Glasgow” for her funeral the day after.
“Glasgow: Necropolis and view of the suburbs” by Chris Downer is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.