John Inman, British sitcom actor, dies

LONDON, March 8 (UPI) -- John Inman, the 71-year-old British TV sitcom star known for the catch-phrase "I'm free!," has died of hepatitis A at St. Mary's Hospital in London.

Inman, who believed he contracted the disease from contaminated food, had been ill for some time and his death Wednesday was not unexpected, the Independent said.

Inman's partner of 35 years, Ron Lynch, was "absolutely devastated" by his death, said the actor's manager, Phil Dale.

Inman played the campy clothing salesman Mr. Humphries on the television show "Are You Being Served?" from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, starring with Wendy Richard, Molly Sugden, Frank Thornton and Trevor Bannister. He was voted Funniest Man on Television by TV Times readers and also was BBC TV's Personality Of The Year in 1976.

"John was one of the wittiest and most inventive actors I have ever worked with," Richard told BBC Radio. "He was a brilliant pantomime dame and an all-round brilliant actor."

Dale said Inman should be remembered as a "genuine British comedian."