Rodney Bewes, who became a massive star in the 1960s and 1970s as Bob Ferris in the BBC sitcom The Likely Lads has died aged 79.
His theatrical agents Michelle Braidman Associates confirmed the sad news in a statement on Twitter - accompanied by images of Bews in the role where he played the other half to James Bolam's Terry.
Their statement said: "It is with great sadness that we confirm that our dear client, the much loved actor Rodney Bewes, passed away this morning. Rodney was a true one off. We will miss his charm and ready wit."
Bewes became a household name with Bolam after being cast in Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais's 20 episode black and white Likely Lads series.
The show centred on the lives on ex-army man Bolam's Terry and Bewes, who suffered constant jibes over his middle-class aspirations.
In pictures and video: Remembering 93 famous faces we've said goodbye to in 2017
It was such a hit the show was resurrected in the 1970s with a fresh run - this time in colour - as Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
There was also a feature film in 1976 starring the two men, who famously did not actually get on during the filming of the series. It was a rift they never healed.
After Bewes's wife, Daphne, died in 2015, he said he was surprised not to have got a letter of condolence from Bolam, who himself remains a constant star - with his own children's TV series currently on air.
“I got letters from people from all over the world,” said Rodney, 77, “but there’s not a letter from Jimmy about Daphne dying."
Tributes poured into Bewes, with radio presenter Danny Baker tweeting his sign off as 'Bob' to 'Terry:' "What dreadful bit of news. See ya, kidda."
Morgan Jeffrey, TV editor of Digital Spy, also posted an image of Bolam and Bewes in their heyday, using his catchphrase, adding: "Gutted to hear that Rodney Bewes has passed away. Always hoped against hope that he and James Bolam would patch things up and we'd get one last Likely Lads special, with Bob and Terry in their golden years. Not to be. Very sad. Rest in peace, kidda."
In pictures and video: Remembering 93 famous faces we've said goodbye to in 2017
Elaine Burns tweeted: "So sad to hear about #RodneyBewes. Like Porridge & Rising Damp, The Likely Lads was done & dusted before I was even born but the writing still hasn't dated all these years later. Couldn't agree more with Danny."
Kieran Bestall wrote: "A great double act and a classic British sitcom. #RIP Rodney Bewes."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article