R.I.P Irony

It was confirmed this morning that Irony, the loving friend of Jane Austen and godfather to postmodernism, has tragically died after a long battle with the advertising industry.

Irony first found fame whilst working in the theatre as a dramatic device, making acclaimed appearances in Sophocles' Oedipus The King (429 BC) and Shakespeare's Hamlet (1601). But it was Irony's innate and uncanny sense of timing that was to capture the public's imagination.

By the 18th and 19th century, Irony had become the darling of Western literature. But after a string of appearances in the light romantic comedies of Jane Austen, he found it increasingly difficult to be taken seriously. His career faultered and he began drinking heavily.

Despite this nosedive, Irony's reputation for innate truth through disparity of meaning nevertheless made him a natural choice for use in satire. A new generation of artists quickly made Irony their own and work came flooding in: novels, paintings, films, music and theatre, all wanted to collaborate with him. This was a new lease of life, and in the early 80's Irony was approached by the advertising industry to lend a touch of humour to their campaigns.

Whilst many of these collaborations were successful, Irony was increasingly hampered by the quality of the material he was asked to perform. His health and credibilty deteriorated and the 90's brought a string of health scares after singer Alanis Morrisette famously confused him with bad luck - a blow he never fully recovered from. Friends became concerned recently when he appeared as B.A Baracus in two separate TV campaigns simultaneously.

Irony is reported to have died peacefully at his home in Florida after Fallon London remixed their Cadbury's "Gorilla" ad with Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of The Heart - a song that was never really that funny in the first place.