Yesterday’s announcement that Don Lane, the American-born entertainer who reigned on local television for more than two decades, had died of an Alzheimer’s-related illness throws the current lack of taste, class and – dare we say – creative talent on the box into very sharp relief.

Lane, Bert Newton and the late, great Graham Kennedy were performers notable for a shotgun wit, a flair for improvisation and the ability to pull laughs out of nowhere that makes their modern imitators look like

non-entities.

It appears unlikely, at least at this early stage, that people will be lining up for the best of Kyle Sandilands on Australian Idol or Rove highlights in 30 and 40 years’ time.

When television first took root in this country, nobody quite knew what to do with it.

The original treatment – radio with pictures – went by the wayside when performers such as Newton, Lane and Kennedy made the medium their own.

They brought personality to the box and, as such, were able to project their personas into every living room in the nation.

Lane, while not Australian-born, quickly learnt how to tickle the funny bone of his audience. The result was not always dignified and frequently spontaneous. It was almost always funny, however.

On an even sadder note, Don Lane’s passing is proof that no matter how quick your wit and how sharp your quips, nobody is immune to the curse that is dementia. The 75-year-old had been living in care since 2008 as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.

He campaigned actively to raise funds for a cure while he was still able and would want his death to raise public awareness of the scourge.