Dudley Moore dies

Succumbs to brain condition at 66

Dudley Moore has died at the age of 66 in his New Jersey home.

He had been suffering from the degenerative brain condition progressive supranuclear palsy and died from pneumonia, a complication of the

'Cuddly Dudly' was one of the four-strong Beyond The Fringe team that was to change the face of British comedy, had an enduring partnership with Peter Cook and went on to become a Hollywood heart-throb in films such as Arthur and 10.

In 1999 he revealed that he was suffering from the condition that robbed him of his speech and rendered him virtually immobile.

The frail 5ft 2in star accepted a CBE from Prince Charles last November while confined to a wheelchair.

He was surrounded by friends when he died at 4pm British time, his publicist Michelle Bega said. He leaves four children.

Stars paid their tributes to Moore's talent.

His Beyond The Frnge collaborator, Jonathan Miller, told the BBC: "He was irresistibly comic - one didn't know what was going to happen. The most original stuff was what he did with Peter Cook."

While 10 co-star Bo Derek added: "He was hilariously funny and yet at the same time very sensitive.

Chat show host Michael Parkinson added: "He was the most charming of men and delightful company, a superb musician, a bloody good comedian, but he didn't seem to understand what he had got."

And director Michael Winner said: "He was the most likeable man I ever met. He was not unlike the character he played in some of his films, oon occasions. But he was just a wonderful chap. I shall miss him very much."

Obituary/biography