Britain’s Got TalentSeries 14 comedian Allan Finnegan has sadly passed away at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer. Finnegan was a Baptist minister who made it to the BGT Semifinals in 2020.
According to The Independent, Allan Finnegan battled ocular melanoma, a rare form of eye cancer, before passing away at the age of 59. He was reportedly diagnosed in 2022. In December 2024, Finnegan shared that the cancer had spread and he had been given one year to live.
Finnegan’s family shared the news of his death on the comedian’s Instagram account earlier this week, revealing that he passed away on June 19. As the post reads, “We have the most precious memories as a family and will love and miss him so much.”
The post goes on to share that Finnegan listened to his favorite music before he passed away, taking his last breath as his favorite song, Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” began playing. In January of this year, Finnegan’s memoir, I Didn’t Ask for Any of This: Church, Comedy and Cancer, was published.
“Watching my wife and kids cry, seeing other people cry, that makes me more emotional,” Finnegan said of his cancer battle. “The congregation has been fabulous. Apparently, it was a bit of a shock to them when they found out. It was read out when I was away and I heard there were plenty of tears. They’ve been massively supportive.”
Allan Finnegan auditioned for Series 14 of BGT in 2020 with his stand-up comedy routine, in which he made jokes about his experience as a Baptist minister in Liverpool. The judges loved his performance and voted to send him through.
Finnegan returned to perform again in the Semifinals, but he unfortunately wasn’t voted through to the finale. The dark jokes he made during his routine sparked over 300 complaints to Ofcom, the UK’s Office of Communications.
Were you a fan of comedian Allan Finnegan during his time on BGT? Let us know in the comments below.
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
