Hairy Bikers Dave Myers dies aged 66 after cancer battle
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
TV chef Dave Myers, one half of the Hairy Bikers, arranged his funeral plans before his death, and had important one wish for guests, according to reports.
Myers died aged 66, two years after revealing he had been diagnosed with cancer.
The news was shared by his co-star and close friend Si King on Thursday (29 February).
His plans included his coffin being carried out to The Best is Yet To Come by The Scorpions in order to “cheer everyone up”, he said in an interview from 2014.
Myers wanted guest to be served vodka martinis as they arrived “to get everyone loosened up”, and then have a reading of William Blake’s Innocence and Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending “to get them crying”.
Talking about how he wants people to reflect on his life, Myers told the Mailonline: “Just have a go and never limit your ambitions. Aim for the moon and you might just get there. As my dad used to say, ‘You’ve got to fill in your coupon, or you’ll never win the Pools’.”
Myers found fame alongside King, his best friend and work partner of 30 years, as part of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo. Together, they have toured the UK – and the world – in search of new recipes, and adventures.
They can currently be seen together in BBC series Hairy Bikers: Go West, which will continue this week.
Myers, born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, first announced he was receiving treatment for cancer in May 2022, but did not specify what type.
In a tribute, King said: “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.”
Best mates: Dave Myers and Si King’s friendship history
The Hairy Bikers met on the set of TV drama The Gambling Man in 1995 and formed a close personal and professional relationship.
“At lunch most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water at the local pub, while I was having a curry and two pints of larger,” King told The Independent.
“When Dave came in he took one look at my lunch and went, ‘I’ll have what he’s having!’ Pretty quickly we discovered that we both loved eating, drinking and motorcycling.”
Tom Murray2 March 2024 03:15
Dave Myers laughs with Hairy Bikers co-star Si King in last episode before death aged 66
Dave Myers laughs with Hairy Bikers co-star Si King in last episode before death aged 66
Tom Murray2 March 2024 02:13
Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt on Meyers’ impact
“He was very down to earth,” Tebbutt said on The One Show.
“To have him around, it kind of made the world brighter.”
Tom Murray2 March 2024 01:23
Picture of the Hairy Bikers sat on a sofa together could be the last of the duo before Myers’ death
A photo of Myers and King posted by Myers’s wife Liliana is believed to be one of the last photos of the pair.
Shared on Facebook on 6 February, Liliana captioned the post: “Our boys [heart emojis].
“Watching their first leg of their trip!!!”
Tom Murray2 March 2024 00:34
BBC pays tribute to Dave Myers
Myers made his Hairy Biker debut alongside Si King onThe Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook in 2004, and have presented numerous shows together over the years.
These include The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain in 2009, The Hairy Bikers’ Cook Off in 2010 and The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventurein 2014. The projects merged their love of cooking and motorcycles.
The BBC paid tribute, writing: “Dave made cooking a truly joyful adventure and he shared that joy with millions. The public loved him and his unique partnership with Si. Together they made every viewer feel like a friend.”
(PA)
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 23:40
What Dave Myers said about cancer diagnosis
Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers was supported after sharing “candid” details about his cancer diagnosis in a recent Christmas special.
Myers, who never revealed what cancer he had been diagnosed with, reflected on his treatment during new show The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas alongside his wife Liliana Orzac.
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 23:10
Paul Hollywood is ‘gutted’ to hear of his friend’s death
TV chef Paul Hollywood said he was “gutted” to hear Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers had died aged 66.
Commenting on the announcement post shared by Myers’ co-star Si King on Instagram, the Great British Bake Off judge said: “Gutted Si, this is terrible news! Love to all mate xx.”
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 22:10
Dave Myers’ Hairy Bikers history
Myers first met King in 1995 while working as a make-up artist, specialising in prosthetics, on a TV drama called The Gambling Man.
Their first TV appearance together was The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook in 2004, which was part cooking show and part travel programme and in the first episode the duo rode the length of Portugal.
Subsequent shows included The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour Of Britain, The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best, The Hairy Bikers’ Cook Off and Hairy Bikers: Best of British.
They have published more than 25 cookery books.
The pair documented their weight loss in Hairy Dieters: How To Love Food And Lose Weight, when they embarked on a campaign to lose two-and-a-half stone in three months, and comfortably passed their targets.
In January 2014, they launched The Hairy Bikers Diet Club, which includes recipes and tips to help people to live a healthier life, while not starving themselves.
Myers and King are currently on TV in the BBC Two series The Hairy Bikers Go West, which started earlier this month.
Si King and Dave Myers in ‘Hairy Bikers: Go West’
(BBC)
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 21:40
Dave Myers’ ‘Strictly’ partner pays tribute
Dave Myers’s Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Karen Hauer replied to Hairy Biker Si King’s Instagram post announcing Myers‘ death, commenting: “Heartbroken” with a broken heart emoji.
Dave Myers and dance partner Karen Hauer during rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
(PA Wire)
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 21:10
Best mates: Dave Myers and Si King’s friendship history
The Hairy Bikers met on the set of TV drama The Gambling Man in 1995 and formed a close personal and professional relationship.
“At lunch most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water at the local pub, while I was having a curry and two pints of larger.” King told The Independent.
“When Dave came in he took one look at my lunch and went, ‘I’ll have what he’s having!’ Pretty quickly we discovered that we both loved eating, drinking and motorcycling.”
Jabed Ahmed1 March 2024 20:40