Comedian Jeremy Hardy dies aged 57

"Friends and family of comedian Jeremy Hardy are immensely sad to announce that Jeremy died of cancer, early on Friday 1st February, " Hardy’s representative Amanda Emery wrote.

"He was with his wife and daughter as he died.

"He retained to the end the principles that guided his life; trying to make the world more humane, and to be wonderfully funny.

"He will be enormously missed by so many, who were inspired by him and who laughed with him.

"A fitting memorial will take place, details to be announced soon."

Hardy was born in Farnborough, Hampshire in 1961, and rose to fame on the comedy circuit in the 1980s, later winning the prestigious Perrier award in 1988 and an ITV Comedy Award in 1991.

Known for his socialist beliefs (he also wrote columns for the Guardian for a number of years), Hardy had long worked political comedy into his act, which made him a popular guest on Radio 4’s long-running The News Quiz alongside many other well-known series on the broadcaster.

Notably, Hardy became famed for his comically poor singing voice on self-styled “antidote to panel games” I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, and also starred in his own radio series Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation from 1993 to 2014.

On TV, he appeared in series including QI, Countdown, Pointless Celebrities, The One Show and Grumpy Old Men among others, and following news of his death many of Hardy's friends and colleagues (including fellow comedians, actors, politicians, activists and musicians) paid tribute to him on social media.

Hardy is survived by his wife Kate Barlow, a filmmaker and photographer, and their daughter Elizabeth.