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Veteran entertainer Lionel Blair dies, aged 92

Veteran entertainer Lionel Blair dies, aged 92
© Reuters
Lionel Blair dies surrounded by family at the age of 92, his agent announces.

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"

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.

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