Cheryl Barrymore as himself. Michael later wrote in his 2006 autobiography, "Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight", that Cheryl was a control freak who controlled his every movement including his clothes, and she had created the character that was "Michael Barrymore", which drove him to alcohol, drugs and gay affairs. After her split with Michael, Cheryl's health suffered. In 2003 she suffered a burst ulcer, and in late 2004 she was investigated for chronic fatigue syndrome, when she complained of feeling unwell. On 1 April 2005, she died, aged 55, at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood, having
Gene Taylor (TV and radio personality) been working on a book about Michigan at the time of his death, and it was completed by Colleen Burcar, his colleague on the Purtan show, and published as "Michigan Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff" in 2003. Taylor was married twice, first to Mardi, whom he met in 1969 and married in 1972. They had two sons together, Kelly (born in 1978) and Christian (1984). He later married Helen Pasakarnis, and the two were together when Taylor died. Gene Taylor (TV and radio personality) Gene Taylor (born Eugene Lee Herships, June 26, 1947 – January 6,