Freddie Starr death: Comedian and TV personality found dead at his home in Spain, aged 76

Comic said to have been found dead by carer at Costa Del Sol apartment

Comedian Freddie Starr has died at the age of 76.

Starr was found dead inside his apartment by his carer in the resort of Mijas on the Costa Del Sol in Spain, reports initially claimed.

His manager has since confirmed the news, writing on Starr's official Facebook page: "This is Freddie's manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. RIP to our greatest comedian of all time."

The comic starred in several eponymous TV shows during the 1990s, such as Freddie Starr, The Freddie Starr Show and An Audience with Freddie Starr.

More recently, he appeared in the 2011 series of I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here but dropped out after being hospitalised over an allergic reaction to fermented egg and a camel toe.

The 76-year-old was also the subject of one of the most famous headlines in British media history: “Freddie Starr ate my hamster.”

The infamous front page ran in The Sun in 1986, with the story claiming Freddie Starr had eaten a live hamster between two slices of bread at a friend’s home in Manchester. Starr has always denied the incident took place.

Starr has spent the last several years living in Spain, after British police investigated an allegation of historical sexual abuse against him in 2012.

After spending 18 months on bail, Starr was told in 2014 he would not be prosecuted. A year later, Starr went on to lose a damages claim against his accuser in 2015.

Additional reporting by agencies