Benny Hill star McGee dies at 76

He died on Saturday and had been battling Alzheimer's, his agent said. He spent the last six months of his life in a nursing home.

McGee played Hill's sidekick in the comedy sketch show for 20 years and was also appeared alongside the Honey Monster in the Sugar Puffs commercials.

He became an actor after finishing his National Service in the Navy.

The actor was descended from a theatrical family dating back to an 18th Century actress, Kitty Clive.

"I couldn't understand why they did it," he once said. "I thought they must be barmy.

Mousetrap joke

"They would be talking about it all the time and everything they were talking about was a disaster. It was the last thing I wanted to do."

The actor joked that his greatest claim to fame was that he was contracted to play for two weeks in The Mousetrap, giving him the distinction of being cast for the shortest time in the longest-running show.

He also carved out a film career with roles in The Italian Job, The Pink Panther, Carry on Emmanuelle and Holiday On The Buses.

His TV work included parts in Last Of The Summer Wine, Z Cars, Rising Damp, The Goodies, The Saint and The Avengers.

The actor also played the lead in television's Jimmy and the Desperate Woman. He appeared in No That's Me Over There with Ronnie Corbett and The Worker with Charlie Drake.

And his stage work included sharing the limelight with Terry Scott, Dick Emery, Eric Sykes, Tommy Cooper, Rod Hull and Jimmy Tarbuck.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Henry McGee on BBC Comedy
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