Ventriloquist Ray Alan has died suddenly at the age of 79, his agent has announced.
The showman was known for his upper class puppet Lord Charles, who usually appeared to be drunk.
Alan, from Reigate, Surrey, was a TV regular from the 1950s to the 1980s, appearing on shows including variety serial The Good Old Days.
In later years he was an entertainer on QE2 cruises, taking a break from showbusiness in 2008 due to ill health.
Old age had also made it increasingly difficult for him to control his puppet.
Alan - always accompanied by Lord Charles - was often a guest on TV shows including Celebrity Squares, Give Us A Clue and 3-2-1.
He clocked up the most appearances on The Good Old Days, where he and Lord Charles made their TV debut.
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Alan began his career as a teenager, with his ventriloquism act developing from pretending there were voices coming from a box on stage.
Lord Charles' character was based on a man he saw at a cabaret show, with his face modelled on Stan Laurel.
In 1954 he worked with Laurel and Hardy after fellow ventriloquist Harry Worth was forced to pull out of a show.
His puppet became famous for his catchphrase "you silly arse" and having an eye for glamorous women.
His agent Peter Pritchard, who worked with him for 30 years, said: "Technically he was regarded as Britain's top ventriloquist. You couldn't see his mouth moving.
"He was tremendously well-liked in the business and he had been in the entertainment business all his life," he added.
Speaking to the BBC in 2006, Alan said of his puppet sidekick: "Oh, no, I'm not one of those ventriloquists who thinks he's real.
"When I finish my work I put it back in the tool box and I don't take it out again until the next job."
British   has died at the age of 79. Alan was best known for his sketches with his puppet, Lord Charles.  His death was announced by his agent.  Alan died in his sleep. 
 
Alan received the majority of his fame in the 1950s and 60’s appearing on several children’s television shows including  and also as a guest artist on the series .  Later in his career he worked as an entertainer on the  Cruise ship.  He stopped work in 2008 due to ill health.
 
Peter Pritchard, Alan's agent for 30 years, released a statement saying that Alan "passed away very suddenly".  He spoke about Alan’s career saying that "Technically he was regarded as Britain's top ventriloquist.  You just couldn't see his mouth moving.  He was tremendously well-liked in the business and has been in the entertainment business his whole life".

Alan spoke to the BBC in 2006 speaking about his puppet. He said "I'm not one of those ventriloquists who thinks he's real. When I finish my work I put it back in the tool box and I don't take it out again until the next job."