On the Buses star Stephen Lewis Breathes his Last at 88

Stephen Lewis, who played Blakey on the famous 1970s sitcom On the Buses, has died in London aged 88. According to his family, the actor died in a nursing home in Wanstead, east London, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. His other credits included The Last of the Summer Wine, The Krays, Personal Services and London's Burning.

Stephen nephew, Peter Lewis, said: "He had terrible arthritis in one knee which really badly affected him, and many years ago he had prostate cancer - and whether that had come back we don't know."

Rashid Ebrahimkhan, the manager of Cambridge Nursing Home, said: "He was still quite funny. He still had his sense of humour, very much so, like he was on On the Buses. He had the sense of humour until the last."

Lewis also penned a twelve of episodes of On the Buses, which was famous for its saucy humour. Lewis played Smiler Hemingway on long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine for 17 years before ill health forced the actor to retire in 2007.

Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp wrote on Twitter: "RIP Stephen Lewis ... So pleased we worked together on The Krays. My thoughts are with your family and friends!" A family member said Mr Lewis was "in high spirits" to the end.