One of Britain's finest ever comedians, Cooper made an art form of failing at performing magical tricks. It should be noted that despite his purported inability to perform conjuring tricks, he was actually a very competent magician, which was a large part of the joke.
He was famous for wearing a red fez (a Moroccan hat) and his catchphrases, "Just like that! Not that -- that!", "Whisky, sample, sample, whisky, sample..." Along with Eric Morecambe, Peter Cook and Les Dawson he appeared on a recent set of UK stamps depicting comic legends.
Cooper collapsed during a live television performance. He was rushed to hospital but was dead on arrival.