Bob Hoskins dead: Actor dies after battle with pneumonia, aged 71

'Bob died peacefully in hospital last night, surrounded by family, following a bout of pneumonia,' a statement from the family read

Bob Hoskins has died of pneumonia at the age of 71, his agent Lindy King has confirmed.

In a statement, his wife Linda and children, Alex, Sarah, Rosa and Jack, said: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob.

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"Bob died peacefully in hospital last night, surrounded by family, following a bout of pneumonia.

"We ask that you respect our privacy during this time and thank you for your messages of love and support."

Hoskins, whose screen roles during his four-decade-long career included gritty gangster films and animated hits like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, retired from acting in 2012 after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

The Suffolk-born star built his reputation on the stage in the Sixties and won critical acclaim for his performance as East End gangster Harold Shand in The Long Good Friday, the 1980 film about the criminal underworld in London.

He was nominated for an Oscar in 1987 for his role as a petty criminal in the British film Mona Lisa, but lost out to Paul Newman.

"The other nominees raised their glasses to him and I said, 'What the f**k are you talking about?" he quipped at the time.

He received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as a private detective opposite the animated character Roger Rabbit the following year.

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