IT has been announced that the renowned West Country comedian Jethro passed away yesterday (Tuesday, December 14) after contracting COVID-19.

Born at St Buryan, Cornwall, in 1948, he was the son of a farmer and after leaving school was initially apprenticed as a carpenter and worked in the Levant tin mine.

His career as a performer began after he joined an operatic society in St Just as a bass singer, and he then started touring pubs and clubs in Cornwall singing traditional songs and developing his comedy act.

From 1967 he also played rugby as a prop forward in more than 100 matches for Penzance and Newlyn RFC - later the Cornish Pirates.

His stage name ‘Jethro’ came from a combination of his real name, Geoff Rowe, and the character Jethro in The Beverly Hillbillies TV show. After his shows became popular in Cornwall and Devon in the 1970s and 80s, he was asked to appear on national TV on the Des O’Connor Show in 1990, and he appeared on both that show and Jim Davidson’s on several occasions, although his style of comedy was not always considered suitable for TV audiences.

However, videos he produced from 1993 proved very popular, as did his stage performances and in 2001 appeared in a Royal Variety Performance.

In his later years he lived at Lewdown, between Launceston and Okehampton in West Devon, where he owned stables and premises which were run until 2012 as a comedy club and restaurant.

In early 2020 it was announced that he would be retiring from public performances at the end of the year – but in the event he to postpone his last shows due the the COVID crisis, caused by a global pandemic which this week claimed his life.

The official Jethro Facebook page today carried the following message: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of the well known and popular Cornish comedian Jethro.

“Tragically Jethro passed away on December 14, 2021, after contracting COVID-19

“Jethro leaves behind his life partner Jennie, sons Jesse and Lanyon, step daughter Sarah, daughter-in-law Stacey and of course his much-loved grandchildren.

“We ask that you respect our privacy at this very sad time and give us all time to grieve.

“We will continue to support each other in the knowledge that our lives will never be the same without him.”