Comic Jason Wood dies at 38

Comic and reality TV star Jason Wood has died at the age of 38. Wood was a genuinely popular comic among fans and within the industry, and was for many years an Edinburgh Fringe staple. His comedy relied on his distinctive voice and astonishingly accurate impressions of male and female divas - from Dame Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand to Johnny Mathis and Neil Diamond. In 2004 he had the dubious honour of being the first participant to be voted off the first series of Strictly Come Dancing, which was later won by Natasha Kaplinksy. But Jason liked to turn setbacks to his advantage: he was once given a stinging one-star review at the Fringe by The Scotsman and he simply added "A star - The Scotsman" to his show posters.

His agent released a statement saying that Wood died in his sleep last Saturday night and that a postmortem was being carried out.

Comic and reality TV star Jason Wood has died at the age of 38. Wood was a genuinely popular comic among fans and within the industry, and was for many years an Edinburgh Fringe staple. His comedy relied on his distinctive voice and astonishingly accurate impressions of male and female divas - from Dame Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand to Johnny Mathis and Neil Diamond. In 2004 he had the dubious honour of being the first participant to be voted off the first series of Strictly Come Dancing, which was later won by Natasha Kaplinksy. But Jason liked to turn setbacks to his advantage: he was once given a stinging one-star review at the Fringe by The Scotsman and he simply added "A star - The Scotsman" to his show posters.

His agent released a statement saying that Wood died in his sleep last Saturday night and that a postmortem was being carried out.