BRITAIN:Tributes poured in yesterday for John Inman, star of the British sitcom Are You Being Served?, following his death at the age of 71.
The actor, much loved for his role as a camp, sharp-tongued salesman with the catchphrase "I'm free!", had been ill for some time.
Actress Wendy Richard said: "John was one of the wittiest and most inventive actors I have ever worked with. He was a brilliant pantomime dame and an all-round brilliant actor." Of Inman's sexuality she said: "Of course he never said he was gay; he just said he was a young man who was very good to his mother."
Inman's manager, Phil Dale, said: "John, through his character Mr Humphries of Are You Being Served?, was known and loved throughout the world.
"He was one of the best and finest pantomime dames, working to capacity audiences throughout Britain.
"Ron Lynch, his partner of many, many years, is absolutely devastated and at the moment inconsolable," Mr Dale said.
The couple had been together for 35 years, and participated in a civil partnership ceremony two years ago.
Inman suffered from hepatitis A and had been taken into hospital for tests after problems with his liver. The highly infectious disease forced him to cancel the opening of a pantomime in London in December 2004, and after that he never worked again. Hepatitis A is a liver inflammation caused through eating contaminated food, which Inman believed was how he came to have the virus.
His portrayal of the pouting Mr Humphries character brought him awards for the Funniest Man On Television and TV's Personality Of The Year. But he was also attacked by gay groups offended by his stereotypical portrayal of a camp homosexual.
He argued that his sexual orientation was never stated.
Fellow actor Rula Lenska said of Inman: "He was always sweetness and light . . . He would stand for hours at the stage door chatting to fans and signing photos." She added: "He could be as suggestive as you like but never vulgar." - (PA)