Story highlights Sachs apparently suffered from vascular dementia

He appeared in numerous radio adaptations and children's television series

(CNN) British actor Andrew Sachs, famous for his role as bumbling waiter Manuel in British TV show "Fawlty Towers," has died at the age of 86, the UK's Press Association reported.

Sachs was reported to have suffered from vascular dementia for four years before his death. He was buried on Thursday December 1.

"It wasn't very pleasant," his wife Melody told the Daily Mail. "It didn't get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it."

Born in Germany, Sachs' parents fled Nazi persecution of the Jews by moving to the United Kingdom, where their son eventually became a well-known actor and comedian.

Apart from his iconic role on "Fawlty Towers," Sachs appeared in numerous radio adaptations and children's television series, as well as narrating audio books, including C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" series.