British actor John Inman, famous for his role as an eccentric shop assistant in the BBC comedy Are You Being Served?, died on March 8 at the age of 71, his manager said.
Inman died in the early hours at Saint Mary’s Hospital in west London after a long battle with hepatitis A. The BBC reported that his long-term partner, Ron Lynch, is ”devastated”.
The actor starred as Mr Humphries in the popular comedy, which was broadcast from 1972 to 1985 and at its height attracted an audience of 22-million viewers in Britain. It was then sold around the world.
His camp catchphrase ”I’m free!” helped him win an award for funniest man on television by the British weekly TV Times in 1976.
In recent years, Inman regularly appeared in pantomime productions.
”John was known and loved throughout the world. He was one of the best and finest pantomime dames working to capacity audiences throughout Britain,” his manager, Phil Dale, told the BBC. — Sapa-AFP