Piers Morgan and Stephen Fry have led the tributes to broadcaster Clive James, after news of his death was announced on Wednesday.
His family confirmed in a statement that the TV presenter and author had died on Sunday at the age of 80, with his funeral now having taken place.
Good Morning Britain host Piers was among the first to pay tribute to the Australian native, who he called “a brilliantly funny man”.
Stephen also tweeted about his sadness after also learning about the deaths of theatre director Jonathan Miller and TV chef Gary Rhodes.
He said that Clive had been a “hero” of his while growing up, adding: “Very sorry to think they’re not in this world any more.”
Clive’s former co-star Margarita Pracatan said she was shocked by his death.
Sharing a picture of them together, she wrote: “Saying goodbye is so shocking. Makes you quiet rewinding the memories. So many. Years and years of that intelligence and the talent and beautiful way of living, always to do excellence [sic].
“Thank you, #CliveJames from the bottom of my heart. You live forever with us.”
Other famous faces from the world of entertainment and broadcasting rushed to share their thoughts and condolences online…
Clive died nearly 10 years after being diagnosed with terminal leukaemia.
In their statement, his family said he “endured his ever-multiplying illnesses with patience and good humour, knowing until the last moment that he had experienced more than his fair share of this ‘great, good world’”.
They added: “He was grateful to the staff at Addenbrooke’s hospital for their care and kindness, which unexpectedly allowed him so much extra time. His family would like to thank the nurses of the Arthur Rank Hospice at Home team for their help in his last days, which allowed him to die peacefully and at home, surrounded by his family and his books.”
Clive was born in Australia in 1939 but moved to the UK in 1961 where he became known for hosting late-night ITV show Clive James On Television from 1982 to 1988, which featured featuring comical clips from shows around the world.
It was later presented by Keith Floyd and Chris Tarrant and respectively renamed Floyd On Television and Tarrant On TV, which came to an end in 2006.
Clive was also known as an author, poet and TV critic.