Comedian and 8 Out of 10 Cats star Sean Lock dies from cancer aged 58

A statement shared on Twitter by his agent Off The Kerb Productions read: "It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock. He died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family.

"Sean was one of Britain's finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.

"Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children. Sean will be missed sorely by all that knew him. We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children are respected at this difficult time."

In a statement obtained by the BBC, Lock's friend and fellow stand-up comedian Lee Mack said the news was "heartbreaking".

"A true original both in comedy and life. I will miss him so much," Mack said.

Bill Bailey led tributes to Lock on social media, saying: "It's heartbreaking to lose my dearest friend Sean Lock, he was a true original, a wonderful comic. All my thoughts are with his family."

Alan Davies was among those to pay tribute, calling the late star "funny on stage, hilarious off".

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Comedian and novelist Mark Watson tweeted: "Stunned to hear about Sean Lock. Worked with him without ever getting to know him; witnessed his talent from an intimidated distance. It's an enormous loss to comedy."

Pointless presenter Richard Osman, who began his TV career working as a producer on the likes of 8 Out of 10 Cats, also paid tribute, saying: "Over 15 years producing '8 Out of 10 Cats' Sean Lock made me laugh so much and so often. A unique and brilliant comic voice. Love to his family and his many friends."

Lock was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 1990 but later recovered.

The comedian began his career in stand-up and won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Comic in 2000. He also had his own show on BBC Radio 4, 15 Minutes of Misery, which later led to his TV series 15 Storeys High.

Lock was a regular on panel shows including Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and QI.

He was best known for being a team captain on Channel 4's comedy quiz show 8 Out of 10 Cats for 10 years from 2005.