Ronnie Corbett dead: Ricky Gervais leads comedians paying tribute to The Two Ronnies star

'A man of great charm and warmth who brought laughter and joy to millions. He was quite simply one of the true greats of British comedy'

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Ricky Gervais has led a wave of comedians, entertainers and politicians paying tribute to Ronnie Corbett, who has died at the age of 85.

“Ronnie Corbett CBE, one of the nation's best-loved entertainers, passed away this morning, surrounded by his loving family," his publicist said in a statement. “They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very sad time.”

Best-known for his work alongside Ronnie Barker on beloved British sketch show The Two Ronnies, a number of comedians and entertainers have paid tribute to one of their icons.

Gervais, who acted alongside Corbett when he made a memorable appearance on Extras in 2006, said it was an "honour and joy to have known him".

Sir Bruce Forsyth said today was one of the "saddest days of his life". He told the BBC: "Ronnie was a friend, someone I admired so much. It's a very, very sad day. I'm going to miss him like crazy, I really will."

David Walliams, a close friend of Corbett, said he was his "comedy idol".

Director-General of the BBC, Tony Hall, called Corbett a "true great" of British comedy. "Ronnie Corbett was a wonderful comic and entertainer. A man of great charm and warmth who brought laughter and joy to millions. He was quite simply one of the true greats of British comedy."

Russell Crowe, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Hart and Hugh Laurie also paid tribute.

Other notable figures from the comedy world like Omid Djalili, Dara O' Briain and Jason Manford paid tribute saying he was a "delightful" and "lovely" man.

As did the Prime Minister David Cameron, leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn and leader of the Lib Dems Tim Farron.

Watch one of Corbett's most memorable sketches here.