Veteran comedian and journalist Charles Clews passed away yesterday, aged 89.

Born in Senglea, Clews was educated at the Dockyard technical college and started performing shows at the dockyard during the war.

He co-founded Radio Muskettieri and the Stage Commandos Variety Company just after the end of World War II, and he starred in radio sit-coms which were new to Maltese listeners at the time. He remains best known for L-Avventuri ta’ Fredu Frendo Sghendo and Karmena Abdilla.

He also toured Australia twice to entertain Maltese emigrants.

For years, he contributed humorous columns to It-Torca and was the author of seven booklets of a humorous nature in Maltese and of a great number of scripts for radio and stage comedies, sketches and songs for the stage.

Clews was also chairman on the Board of Film and Stage Censors’ between 1955 and 1958 and member on the same board between 1971 and 1987. He was awarded the Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Reppublika (MQR) in 1996.

Charles Clews was married to Anne Pavia for 65 years and they had eight children.

In statements yesterday, the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party paid their respect to Charles Clews and expressed condolences to his family.

PL added that Charles Clews must be remembered as the man who smiled. His artistic skill entertained listeners both during terrible times of the war and at more quiet times when the Maltese people had few means of recreation, PL said. However he will mostly be remembered for making people smile at the most difficult of times.

Clews also contributed strongly to strengthen the Maltese language and Maltese culture. The PL statement concluded that he had deserved the MQR but the best recognition is given by the Maltese people, whom he greatly entertained without ever hurting anyone’s feelings.

His funeral will be held tomorrow morning at Maria Bambina Basilica in Senglea.