The Hairy Bikers have long been a family favourite, creating entertaining TV that combines motorcycling and cooking. Part of the pair’s success came from Dave Myers and Si King's genuine fondness of each other. Fans were devastated to hear that Dave Myers had been diagnosed with cancer - he never disclosed what type - and was undergoing chemotherapy in May 2022.
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Since then, the pair had come back together to make what we now know will be their final series. The Hairy Bikers Go West started earlier in February and sees the foodies touring the west coast of the UK, cooking and sampling food as they go. Fans were devastated when, just after they had welcomed the pair back to their screens, the news broke of Dave Myers’ death at age 66.
Let’s take a look at the heartwarming tributes his close friends and colleagues have paid, as well as a glance back at his early days - before he became a TV sensation.
Tributes for Dave Myers
Speaking about their new series, Dave Myers’ partner Si King talked about how ‘joyous’ it had been to film after Myers' battle with cancer. He said:
This one was particularly special in general because of Dave's health and his sheer and utter determination and love for what he does.
Especially to continue to do it while he was having treatment took remarkable courage and energy.
King later took to X to announce Myers’ passing: ‘I'm afraid I bear some sad news. Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years’:
Last night, on 28th February 2024, with Lili, Dave's wife, his family, close friend David and myself by his side, he passed away peacefully at home. All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu who Dave loved like his own.
He heartbreakingly added: ‘Personally, I am not sure I can put into words how I feel at the moment. My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can't follow’:
I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime. I wish you God's speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya.
Fellow celebrity chef James Martin also paid tribute to Myers, writing that he was ‘a very special man’.
Myers’ early life
Myers’ love for food came from his mother, who worked as a a crane driver at the local shipyard and was a great cook. His father, the foreman of a paper mill, gave him his love of motorbiking - the pair would scoot off for fishing trips on the back of his dad’s bike, which is something Myers continued to enjoy with King, his partner of 20 years.
However, when Myers was still just a young boy, his mother developed multiple sclerosis. The responsibility of cooking fell on Myers as he and his father cared for her. He told BBC Radio 4 in 2019:
In those days there wasn't much support for that. It was very hard, really. I've got a lot of sympathy for young carers today.
Myers later developed alopecia which doctors thought could have been linked to the shock of his mother’s illness. He explained:
There's an irony, as a Hairy Biker. I had no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes.
Myers remained mostly bald until, in his 40s, he had a cyst removed from his brain. He suspected that this may have been the cause of his hair loss all along:
My hair grew back complete as it is now with male pattern baldness. So that's the story of the unhairy Hairy Biker.
Myers and King worked together for two decades, having met on a TV set in 1995 while Myers was working as a makeup artist and King as an Assistant Director and Locations Manager for film and TV. They got on ‘like a house on fire’ and pitched their idea for a cooking show to producers they had met through work. The pair have been a firm favourite among Brits ever since.
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Sources used:
BBC: Dave Myers: The Hairy Bikers star, who had cancer, dies at 66
The Standard: Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers revealed secret health battle weeks before death aged 66
