Overview
- Finnegan died peacefully on Friday 19 June 2026 at 9:10pm with his wife Joyce and daughters Rachael and Beckie at his bedside, and his favourite song, Pink Floyd’s "Wish You Were Here," playing as he took his last breath.
- He first noticed visual 'flashes' in 2022 and was diagnosed with ocular melanoma after tumours were found in both eyes and removed, with a biopsy showing a gene profile that carried a high risk of recurrence.
- In December 2023 doctors confirmed the cancer had metastasised to his liver and was incurable, and clinicians gave him a limited prognosis.
- A public GoFundMe appeal enabled access to innovative, experimental treatments that extended his life beyond the original medical estimate and allowed him more time with family, including meeting his grandson Albie.
- Finnegan built a dual public life as a Bootle Baptist minister and touring stand‑up who reached the 2020 Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals and later published a memoir about his church, comedy and cancer journey, and his case highlights the rarity of ocular melanoma and the liver as its common site of spread.