Image caption Paul Shane, second from right, made his name playing Ted Bovis in TV sitcom Hi-de-Hi!

Paul Shane, the actor famous for starring in the 1980s BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, has died, his agent has confirmed.

The 72-year-old, she said, died surrounded by close family at a hospice in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Thursday after a short illness.

He leaves behind his three daughters and six grandchildren. His wife died in 2001.

Shane made his name playing entertainer Ted Bovis in Hi-de-Hi!, a long-running TV series set in a holiday camp.

He later appeared in You Rang, M'Lord? alongside some of the former Hi-de-Hi! cast members.

These included Su Pollard, who called her co-star "absolutely gorgeous".

Pollard - who played hapless cleaner Peggy Ollerenshaw - remained friends with Shane throughout his life and visited him just days before he died.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Su Pollard on Paul Shane's last moments: "He opened his eyes, smiled and then he went"

"I just remember the great fun we had, always laughing, every single day," Pollard told BBC Breakfast.

She said Shane had "a quiet, reflective side" but was a born entertainer "deep down in his heart". "He would never be the one to push himself forward," she said on Friday.

"But as soon as he was Ted Bovis... he came into his own. There was very definitely two sides to him, but [they were] equally lovely".

Fans have also been paying tribute on Twitter. Among them was comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, who called him an "old school Britcom hero", and former EastEnders actor Shaun Williamson, who wrote "RIP Comedy Legend".

Austin Powers star Mike Myers wrote: "RIP Paul Shane. Great British Comic, actor and talent. Rest in peace sir."

Shane, born in Rotherham in 1940, began his working life as a miner but turned to the entertainment industry following an accident.

Image caption Shane also starred with Su Pollard in You Rang, M'Lord?

In his early career, he sang and entertained in pubs and clubs across South Yorkshire until he was offered TV work in the early 1970s.

His big break came with the BBC hit Hi-de-Hi! in 1980, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

The series, which ran until 1988, won large audiences and a Bafta for best comedy series in 1984.

Linda Kramer, his agent for 15 years, said Paul had loved playing the character of Ted.

She added that he was paid the "ultimate tribute" of being the subject of This is Your Life, the biographical TV show, in 1981.

Shane also worked on 1990s BBC sitcom Oh Doctor Beeching!, as well as Emmerdale, Common as Muck, Doctors and Holby City.

He gave his last TV acting performance in 2008 as 'Deisel Bob' in A Touch of Frost.