Freddie Starr, the comedian who rose to fame in the 1970s, has reportedly died at the age of 76. Starr was found dead at his home in Spain, The Sun said, while a post on Facebook and Twitter pages claiming to belong to Starr appeared to confirm the news. A post said: "This is Freddie's manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. R.i.p to our greatest comedian of all time." Starr's fellow comic Jim Davidson was among those paying tribute. He tweeted: "Just heard the news. Freddie Starr was the greatest." Actor Bobby Davro said on Twitter that Starr was "one of our greatest comedy talents".<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow for the biggest moments from morning TV Opportunity Knocks star Freddie Starr was reportedly found dead at his Spanish home, the Daily Mirror said. The report said the comedian was found on the floor of his Costa Del Sol apartment by a carer. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the publication: “His carer found him dead in his chair around 3.30pm. Police arrived first and then later an ambulance arrived and he was taken away. Freddie Starr dead: Neighbour says Starr 'never had any visitors' “His next door neighbour who is a nurse said he was definitely dead,” they added. Another source told the publication: “He’s been quite ill ever since he moved in and has barely left his apartment since moving in a couple of years ago. “He would just sit indoors all day long and he never had any visitors. It’s so tragic.” Meanwhile, a local paramedics source told The Mirror: “We received a call from the carer of a 76-year-old man around 5.10pm this afternoon local time from an address in a residential area known as Urb. Midas Golf. “She said she had found him and she was looking after him because he had been ill and could be dead. “Medical responders were dispatched but I do not know what happened subsequently at this stage and if the man was confirmed dead at the scene or not.” WHAT WAS FREDDIE STARR'S NET WORTH?<doc-sep>Tributes have been paid to comedian Freddie Starr following his death at the age of 76. The entertainer, who became a household name after rising to fame in the 1970s, was found by a carer at his Spanish home in the resort of Mijas on the Costa Del Sol. His death was confirmed on a Facebook page called Freddie Starr Official, which said: "This is Freddie's manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. RIP to our greatest comedian of all time." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Davro: 'There was nobody funnier than Starr' Fellow comedian Bobby Davro told Sky News: "Out of all the comedians from the past era, I would have to say he was the funniest man I've ever seen in my life. "He could be quite uncomfortable to be with him actually, almost intimidating, but his physical comedy was as good as anyone's I've ever seen." Advertisement Davro added: "He suffered a bit of trauma in his life and had a bit of a stammer and struggled with delivering jokes, but it didn't matter with Freddie because he had this wonderful, unique personality. It was superb. "I remember watching him once back in the late 80s and thinking, 'as long as I've got breath in my body, I'll never be as funny as Freddie Starr'. There's never going to be another Freddie." More on Freddie Starr Freddie Starr: Ex-model reveals truth behind hamster headline Russ Abbot, who appeared in Starr's Variety Madhouse comedy series in 1979, described the stand-up as a "loose comedy cannon". The 71-year-old credited his appearance on that show with helping to launch his career, saying: "You never knew what he would do next. A natural funnyman and hilarious. "He helped launch my career of course and for that I will always be grateful. "He was hugely popular in his day, unique in his unpredictability and bursting with a talent not seen before or since." Image: Starr, pictured in 2011, with fourth wife Sophie Lea Fellow comic Jim Davidson added: "Just heard the news. Freddie Starr was the greatest." And Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden said of Starr: "His style may have fallen out of comedy fashion & favour - but it's important to recognise his once huge popularity and fame. "The outrageous & edgy parodies were infamous. I hope his legacy is not smalled down and he's remembered with a smile." Starr was the subject of the Sun's infamous 1986 headline Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster - one of the best known headlines in the history of British tabloids. He later said the story, which claimed Starr had placed a hamster between two slices of bread at a friend's home and eaten it, was fabricated by publicist Max Clifford. Image: The Sun's infamous 1986 front page and its story covering Starr's death. Pic: Sun newspaper In 2014, it was announced he would not be prosecuted over allegations of sexual offences due to insufficient evidence after spending 18 months on bail. Starr had been arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the police investigation which began following revelations about Jimmy Savile, in relation to 13 alleged victims. No further action was taken over another alleged victim because it was not in the public interest, the Crown Prosecution Service said. He claimed the allegations left him "suicidal". Image: Starr and Tina Turner (second right) meet the Queen after the 1989 Royal Variety Performance Merseyside-born Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat group the Midniters in the early 1960s before rising to national prominence in the early 1970s on talent show Opportunity Knocks. He performed on the 1970 Royal Variety Performance, impressing the audience with his impression of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Starr also left Muhammad Ali in stitches during the boxing great's last appearance on TV chat show Parkinson in 1981. Known for his eccentric and often unpredictable behaviour, Starr starred in several TV shows during the 1990s including Freddie Starr (1993-94), The Freddie Starr Show (1996-98) and An Audience With Freddie Starr in 1996. He also took part in the 2011 series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! but dropped out due to ill health. It came after Starr suffered an allergic reaction in the Australian jungle and had to be taken to hospital after eating a meal of fermented egg and a camel toe. Image: Starr, pictured in 2014, spent 18 months on bail Starr moved to Spain after losing a damages claim against one of his accusers in 2015, which reportedly left him with an estimated bill of £1m. He purportedly thanked fans for their messages of support in a Facebook post earlier this month. A statement on the Freddie Starr Official page said he was "getting tired more now but otherwise I'm doing good". "I just have to say thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the kind comments and messages it really does mean a lot so thank you to each and everyone of you thanks so much," it added. Starr had six children and was married four times, most recently separating from Sophie Lea - who was 39 years his junior - in 2015.<doc-sep>
The comedian Freddie Starr has died aged 76 at his home in Spain, according to reports. Posts on social media pages claiming to belong to Starr appeared to confirm the news. “This is Freddie’s manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. R.i.p to our greatest comedian of all time,” a brief statement on Facebook read. Merseyside-born Starr was the lead singer of the Merseybeat group the Midnighters during the 1960s and rose to national prominence in the early 1970s after appearing on Opportunity Knocks. Freddie in the late 1980s during the height of his fame Photograph: Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Stock Photo His body was reportedly discovered by a carer at his apartment in Mijas on the Costa del Sol. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Mirror: “His carer found him dead in his chair at around 3.30pm. Police arrived first and then later an ambulance arrived and he was taken away. “His next door neighbour, who is a nurse, said he was definitely dead. She said she thinks he may have suffered a heart attack.” Another neighbour added: “He’s been quite ill ever since he moved in and has barely left his apartment since moving in a couple of years ago.” Comedian Bobby Davro tweeted: I've just heard that Freddie Starr has died. He was the funniest man I have ever seen. I'm so sad we have lost one of our greatest comedy talents. RIP Freddie. 💔 — Bobby Davro (@BobbyDavro1) May 9, 2019 Another fellow comic, Jim Davidson, also paid tribute: Just heard the news. Freddie Starr was the greatest. — Jim Davidson (@JimDOfficial) May 9, 2019 At the height of his fame, Starr was known by fans for his eccentric and often unpredictable behaviour. In 1986 he was famously at the centre of one of the best-known newspaper headlines when The Sun splashed with: “Freddie Starr ate my hamster.” The story claimed Starr placed the creature between two slices of bread and ate it at a friend’s home after returning from a performance in Manchester. But in his 2001 autobiography Unwrapped, Starr said the incident never took place. Freddie Starr pictured in 1997. Photograph: ITV/REX/Shutterstock He took part in the 2011 series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! but dropped out due to ill health. A meal of fermented egg and a camel toe forced Starr to leave after he suffered an allergic reaction and had to be taken to hospital. Medics advised Starr to drop out of the competition in case his illness flared up again. In 2012, during the Operation Yewtree investigations, police looked into an allegation of historical sexual abuse against Starr, which he said left him “suicidal”. Starr was told in 2014 he would not be prosecuted after spending 18 months on bail. He lost a damages claim against his accuser in the High Court in 2015. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he revealed he moved to Spain following the ruling, which left him facing a bill unofficially estimated at about £1m. He told the paper: “No matter which way I turned there was a fucking revolver pointing at my head so I thought ‘I’m not going to tell anyone, I’m just going to get on a plane and go to Spain, the place I love, and this is where I’m going to die’. “I didn’t even know how high the legal fees were until after I’d left Britain.” He added he had not moved “to deliberately get out of paying” and had planned to emigrate regardless of the outcome.