'I could not have found a better Manuel' John Cleese leads tributes to Andrew Sachs
STARS have paid tribute to Andrew Sachs as news of his death emerged late last night.
Manuel's best bits from Fawlty Towers
'I could not have found a better Manuel' John Cleese leads tributes to Andrew Sachs
The actor, who was best known for his role of Manuel in Fawlty Towers, passed away at the age of 86 after succumbing to dementia.
Mr Sachs has been battling the disease, which is caused by a lack of bloodflow to the brain, for four years.
Following the news of his death, those close to the star paid tribute on social media.
His Fawlty Towers co-star John Cleese shared: "Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad… I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago and I heard very recently that he has been admitted to Denham Hall, but I had no idea his life was in danger.
"A very sweet, gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973.
Sachs was best known for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers
His Fawlty Towers co-star said he was a sweet, gentle and kind man
John Cleese paid tribute to his co-star on social media
"I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired."
Tony Robinson tweeted: "So sad that Andrew Sachs has died. A true friend and a kindred spirit. I still have the wonderful baby pictures he took of my children. RIP."
Tony Blackburn added: "So sad that Andrew Sachs has passed away.This terrible year goes on & on.He gave us all so many laughs on Fawlty Towers, thank you.R.I.P."
And Samuel West, whose mother Prunella Scales starred alongside Sachs in Fawlty Towers wrote: "Creator of one of our most beloved EU migrants. Such warmth and wit; impossible to think of him without smiling."
Comedy writer Edgar Wright said Sachs "spun comic gold as Manuel in Fawlty Towers".
Stars paid tribute to the star on social media and called him 'comic gold'
His wife Melody said they were 'always laughing, we never had a dull moment'
Meanwhile, ITV's This Morning shared: "Sad news tonight, as Andrew Sachs, the actor who played Manuel in #FawltyTowers has sadly passed away. Our thoughts go out to his family."
His wife Melody, who acted as a carer throughout his battle with dementia, said: "My heart has been broken every day for a long time."
She continued: "It wasn't all doom and gloom, he still worked for two years.
"We were happy, we were always laughing, we never had a dull moment. He had dementia for four years and we didn't really notice it at first until the memory started to go.
"It didn't really get bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment."