BGT Star Allan Finnegan Dies at 59 After Rare Cancer Battle

Allan Finnegan, the Baptist minister and stand-up comedian who reached the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent in 2020, has died at the age of 59 after a four-year battle with rare ocular melanoma that spread to his liver. His family confirmed that he passed away on Friday 19 June, surrounded by his wife and daughters, and expressed gratitude to supporters whose generosity gave him precious additional months with his family and newborn grandson.

Who Was Allan Finnegan?

Finnegan was, by his own account, a man of many parts. Before entering the ministry, he worked on building sites. Before writing a book about his experience of cancer, he performed stand-up comedy on national television wearing a dog collar. His appearance on Britain's Got Talent in 2020 was distinguished by a routine that drew humour from the peculiarities of clerical life, a brand of comedy that impressed judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams enough to carry him to the semi-finals.

In a statement released over the weekend, his family described him as an