Hinge and Bracket star dies

Fyffe (left) formed the duo with George Logan in 1974

Actor Patrick Fyffe, best known as one half of the singing duo Hinge and Bracket, has died at the age of 60 after a battle against cancer.

The stage and TV star, who played Dame Hilda Bracket, passed away on Saturday.

The duo launched their drag act at the 1974 Edinburgh Festival to great acclaim and Mr Fyffe continued to tour with his partner George Logan, who played Dr Evadne Hinge.

They have appeared on two Royal Variety shows, and performed before royalty on more than 15 occasions.

They also hosted their own BBC Two series, Dear Ladies, in 1983 and 1984.

Solo

Mr Fyffe's agent and manager, Phil Dale, said: "He had been fighting cancer since Christmas when he suddenly had to cancel his pantomime."

Although best known as a duo, Mr Fyffe also made several solo appearances.

He appeared as Dame Hilda in The Mikado as the venomous Katisha and played Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance.

Fyffe appeared on the Royal Variety show twice

One of the highlights of the duo's career was appearing on stage at the Royal Opera House in London.

They appeared in a New Year's Eve performance of Die Fledermaus, conducted by Placido Domingo, and starring Kiri Te Kanawa as Rosalinde.

They toured the UK in recent years in the Peter Shaffer play Lettice And Lovage.