Entertainment legend Lionel Blair has died surrounded by his family at the age of 92, his agent has announced.
Originally making a name for himself as a tapdancer, Blair had a career stretching back to the 1940s, when he was a regular fixture in the West End in London.
He became a firm favourite on TV screens through the 1980s and '90s, chiefly as a team captain on Give Us A Clue and host of Name That Tune.
In 2007 Blair played a parody version of himself taking part in Celebrity Big Brother on the final episode of Ricky Gervais's Extras - and seven years later, at the age of 85, art became life as he competed on the reality show for real.
In a statement announcing his death on Thursday evening, his management company said: "He got to a very ripe old age, he was loved by his family, and I think he died in their company, which is lovely."
Author and screenwriter Emma Kennedy was among the first to pay tribute, writing on social media: "I am very glad I got to meet Lionel Blair. He was a Phenomenon. Full of magical, fruity, end with a wink anecdotes. What a career. What a talent. #RIPLionel"
RIP Lionel Blair, 92.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 4, 2021
A wonderful all-round entertainer & lovely man.
Sad news. pic.twitter.com/45eCOewbCo
The broadcaster Nick Owen posted: "So sorry to hear that Lionel Blair has passed away. Always good company and great guest on the breakfast sofa at TV-am and Good Morning with Anne and Nick. RIP Lionel"
Blair is survived by his wife of almost 55 years, Susan, and their three children.
Neil Wilkes
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