Andrew Sachs – a TV icon who memorably starred in Fawlty Towers –has died at age 86.

The actor passed away on 23 November and was laid to rest in North London on Thursday (1 December) after battling dementia over the past four years.

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His wife Melody Lang said that Andrew was using a wheelchair and unable to speak in his final days, so he chose to keep his health private.

"My heart has been broken every day for a long time," Melody was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. "I never once heard him grumble."

In a near seven-decade career in front of the camera, he was a staple of UK TV and a national treasure for his portrayal of the bumbling waiter Manuel in iconic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.

John Cleese and Connie Booth's now-legendary sitcom played to Sachs's genius for physical comedy and ultimately gave him a signature character in Manuel.

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Fawlty Towers cast in 2009: Prunella Scales, John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs

Cleese paid heartfelt tribute to his late co-star on social media late on Thursday, writing: "Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad... I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago and I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall, but I had no idea that his life was in danger.

"A very sweet, gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973. I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired."

Over the decades, he revived the role often on stage and even released novelty singles 'Shaddap You Face', 'Manuel's Good Food Guide' and 'Ode to England' in the guise of the friendly Spanish waiter.

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In 2008, he became involved in an unlikely tabloid scandal when comedian Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left several lewd voicemail messages for Sachs when he failed to call in for an interview on Ross's Radio 2 show.

The public outcry led to Ross's suspension from Radio 2, and the presenter would go on to leave the BBC entirely two years later.

Of course, Sachs's enduring legacy remains the laughs he gave all of us over the years. Below, we share the memories of only some of the many lives impacted by his incredible career:

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From: Digital Spy