I witnessed it on TV; "live" as it were, and just remember it being...very curious. He sort-of collapsed backwards extremely slowly. The commercial break was coming up anyway, so we (my parents and I) thought it was his act's "sign off", and I distinctly remember us all looking at each other in a very puzzled fasion. They didn't mention on the programme at the time that he'd died , but of course it was all over the news later. And I was pretty sad 'cos I love(d) Tommy Cooper. He was the first "celebrity" I ever saw in concert (Skegness '73!). It was a weird feeling knowing someone had expired before your eyes.