Comedian Russell Howard has announced that his newborn son, Felix, died shortly after being born earlier this year.

The 46-year-old former Mock the Week star shared the news in an Instagram post on Friday morning, paying tribute to the NHS staff who supported him and his wife, NHS geriatric doctor Dr Cerys Morgan. The couple had chosen not to disclose the pregnancy publicly, taking time to grieve privately before speaking about their loss.

"Earlier this year, our family changed forever when our beautiful baby boy, Felix, died shortly after birth," Howard wrote. He praised the hospital team for their "extraordinary compassion, kindness and humanity," adding that their support helped the couple "navigate an unimaginable heartache" during what he called the most devastating period of their lives.

During their hospital stay, Howard and Morgan were cared for by a specialist bereavement midwife named Lauren, who had retrained in midwifery after experiencing the loss of her own child. Howard noted: "Her care meant more to us than we can ever put into words."

The couple were also able to use a cool cot, an item of specialist hospital equipment that allowed them to spend valuable time with their baby. "We could hold him, talk to him and tell him just how much we loved him," Howard said. "Those hours are among the most precious memories we have of Felix."

To honour their son's memory and support others in similar circumstances, Howard and Morgan are launching The Felix Foundation. The charity has been established to support parents, siblings and other close relatives affected by miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, neonatal death or related bereavement.

The organisation will focus on four main areas: funding yearly grants for midwives to complete specialist bereavement and counselling training; financing practical and emotional assistance for families; providing specialist hospital rooms and equipment in maternity and neonatal units; and raising public awareness about baby loss while providing guidance resources.

To fund the charity's work, Howard has organised a major comedy benefit at London's O2 Arena on 8 February 2027. The line-up includes Jimmy Carr, Michael McIntyre, Greg Davies, John Bishop, Aisling Bea and Mo Gilligan, with all performers donating their time. Howard said: "Every single one of these incredible performers is giving their time completely free of charge. I will never forget their generosity."

Howard and Morgan have been together since 2004, having met when he was 21 and she was 17 through a friend's sister. Howard announced their engagement on Alan Carr's Chatty Man on New Year's Eve in 2018 following a trip to Japan, and they married in June 2019. The couple also have an older son, born in May 2025, whose name they have chosen to keep private.

Speaking on the Shagged Married Annoyed podcast in December, Howard spoke about life with his older son, calling fatherhood "the best thing in the world, and yet it's tough." He joked at the time: "I'm surviving on three hours' sleep. It makes gigs so much fun, because there's a thrill that you could have a breakdown."

Howard said he hopes Felix's name will come to represent "kindness, compassion and laughter" and help other families facing similar tragedies. I'll be following this one — check back for updates as plans for the foundation and the O2 benefit develop.