British comedian and “Dog Listener” Tony Knight has died in a car accident at the age of 54, according to a GoFundMe page started by his partner’s sister and a French newspaper. The Tarn Free.
On June 7, two large branches hit Knight and other attendees at the Rock & Cars Festival in Lavaur, France. Four more people were injured but survived.
According to the fundraiser, Knight was “only 54 and having the time of his life. He was fit, healthy, happy and had everything going for him. He was charismatic, funny, passionate and so loved by [his partner] Hayley, his family and his friends all over the world.” He was only a few days into his annual holiday to France.
Tony Knight/Instagram
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As of July 5, people had donated $8,501 to go toward Knight’s funeral, medical bills and the costs of settling his estate. The situation is complicated, the author said, because Knight was “an Englishman with an Australian permit living in France.”
Jo, the author, said her sister, Hayley, had been in a relationship with Knight for 15 years. She wrote lovingly about him. She said he “loved comedy and put on his show Mad Dogs and an Englishman in various locations, both in Australia and abroad.”
He was about to promote his performance in the UK and teach his dog classes in Europe.
Tony Knight/Instagram
“His passion was dogs and he helped people all over the world with his teachings, both in person, online, on the radio and television, e-books and more,” Jo wrote. “He was highly respected and admired. His method worked and he loved helping people with their dogs.”
He spent the last part of his life with his loved ones.
“He was based on our family farm near Beaufort for the past 4 years where he built a life for himself with Hayley and proved himself to be a bit of a handyman,” wrote Jo, “He set his mind to something and he did it! He was very happy.”