Harry Corbett: Sooty creator had multiple heart attacks before death – signs

Childhood favourite Sooty plays with an auctioneer's gavel

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Harry Corbett was well known for his role as Harold in Steptoe and Son – a show that attracted millions over the years. He also created the famous puppet Sooty back in 1952 and performed with it until 1975, when he reportedly suffered one of his many heart attacks. Sooty was then passed down to Harry’s son Matthew Corbett and then Richard Cadell in 1998 who has recently finished a Sooty and Friends tour.

The star’s daughter Savannah, who was only 14 when he died, has opened up about the puppet master’s final moments.

Savannah was on a school trip when her uncle showed up at the youth hostel she was staying at to break the bad news.

Her father had died in hospital – which they found out later was from another heart attack.

“He started rubbing his chest but no one knew it was actually a heart attack until it was confirmed at hospital,” Savannah told The Mirror in 2012.

“Even then he managed to have a good joke with all the nurses,” she added.

He had already suffered the 1975 heart attack, as well as one 18 months before his death.

Savannah attributed the death to his smoking addiction.

She explained that he had a 60 cigarettes-per-day addiction that was cut down to 20 per day.

A heart attack is caused when the blood supply is blocked from getting to the heart.

This can be caused by a buildup of cholesterol and other substances – known as plaque.

According to the American Heart Association, one in five that suffer from heart attacks will be brought back into hospital for another heart attack within five years of the first one.

Studies have shown this recurrent heart attack is often life-threatening.

One “major” cause of death from heart attacks is the development of an abnormal heartbeat.

People who have heart attacks can develop arrhythmias as the result of damage to the heart muscles during a heart attack.

The NHS explains that this damage can “disrupt electrical signals that control the heart”.

This can be life-threatening if the heart is blocked because blood cannot pump properly from one side of your heart to the other.

The symptoms of a heart attack can vary, but common signs include pain in your chest that doesn’t go away.

Another symptom is that the pain from your chest spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach, states the Patient.info website.

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