Comedian Freddie Starr has died at the age of 76, according to reports on Thursday night.
Starr, a household name who rose to fame in the 1970s, was found dead at his home in Costa Del Sol, Spain, The Sun said.
A post on Facebook and Twitter pages claiming to belong to Starr appeared to confirm the news.
It said: “This is Freddie’s manager.
“Just to confirm Freddie has passed away.
“RIP to our greatest comedian of all time.”
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Police sources said there was nothing to indicate that the death of Starr, who suffered asthma and underwent a quadruple bypass following a heart attack in 2010, was suspicious.
It is believed he died of natural causes, they added. An autopsy is expected to take place on Friday.
Starr, who was born in Huyton, Lancashire, was the lead singer of Merseybeat pop group the Midniters in the early 1960s.
He came to prominence in the early 1970s following appearances on Opportunity Knocks and the Royal Variety Performance.
In the 1990s he starred in several TV shows, including Freddie Starr (1993-94), The Freddie Starr Show (1996-98) and An Audience with Freddie Starr, in 1996.
In 1999, he presented the game show Beat the Crusher and also appeared on I’m A Celebrity.
Police investigated an allegation of historical sexual abuse against Starr in 2012, which he said left him “suicidal”.
He was told in 2014 he would not be prosecuted after spending 18 months on bail. He lost a damages claim against his accuser in the High Court in 2015.
In an interview he revealed he moved to Spain following the ruling.
He said: “No matter which way I turned there was a f****** revolver pointing at my head so I thought, ‘I’m not going to tell anyone, I’m just going to get on a plane and go to Spain, the place I love, and this is where I’m going to die’.”
Social media tributes to the comedian have poured in.
Comedian Bobby Davro said on Twitter: “He was the funniest man I have ever seen.”
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