British comedian Eric Sykes dead at 89

• Tweet

LONDON, July 5 (UPI) -- Beloved British comedy actor and writer Eric Sykes has died following a short illness, his manager Norma Farnes said. He was 89.

"His family were with him," Farnes told the BBC Wednesday. She did not specify the cause of his death or exactly where it occurred.

The BBC said he dealt with gradual hearing and sight loss and was almost deaf and blind by the 1990s.

"Oh no! Eric Sykes gone? An adorable, brilliant, modest, hilarious, innovative and irreplaceable comic master. Farewell, dear, dear man," writer-actor Stephen Fry wrote on Twitter.

Sykes is best known for his TV shows "Dress Rehearsal," "Sykes and A...," "Curry and Chips," "Sykes" and "The Nineteenth Hole." His film credits include "The Plank," "The Others," "Son of Rambow" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

He and his wife, Edith, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past Valentine's Day. He is also survived by their one son and three daughters, the BBC said.