On The Buses actor Stephen Lewis has died aged 88, his family have confirmed.
The star died peacefully at 1.50am on Wednesday in the Cambridge Nursing Home, in Wanstead, east London.
He was "in high spirits" right until the end, his niece Rebecca Lewis said, adding that he had been in the care home for around three years.
"He was always singing and joking," she said.
She tweeted a final photo of her uncle, and wrote to his fans: "Sadly my uncle 'Blakey' Stephen Lewis passed away yesterday
Stephen, born in Poplar in east London, played Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in On the Buses, the arch enemy of conductors played by Reg Varney and Bob Grant.
See his life and career in pictures here.
It was their constant sparring at the depot that led to Blakey's plaintive catchphrase: "I hate you, Butler."
Anna Karen, who played Olive Rudge, is now the only surviving main cast member of the sitcom, which ran for seven series as well as three spin-off films
The first movie, On the Buses, was the biggest box office smash of 1971, out-performing the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.
Stephen was also well known for playing Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in the longest-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in the BBC's Oh, Doctor Beeching!
His nephew, Peter Lewis, told the Press Association: "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."
He said his uncle's health had gradually declined over the past few years, but said he died "quite peacefully".
Mr Lewis said his 84-year-old mother Connie - Stephen's sister - was in the same care home, having moved in at the same time.
"They looked after each other," he said.
Mr Lewis added: "I'll remember him as being a funny man."
Rebecca, Peter's daughter, said: "We just want people to remember him."
Mirror astrologist Russell Grant, who had a part in On The Buses as a boy, tweeted: "I am sad that a colleague from "On the Buses" Stephen Lewis "Blakey" has passed over.
"Happy memories of days gone by. It's sad the golden age of British sitcom is now a thing of the past."
Rashid Ebrahimkhan, 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."
He said Lewis would still deliver his famous lines from On The Buses - "I'll get you for this Butler" and "Get these buses out Butler".
Mr Ebrahimkhan added: "He was very resilient until the last."
Lewis's funeral will take place on Tuesday August 25 at Our Lady Of Lourdes Church in Wanstead.
