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Ventriloquist Keith Harris who is best known for his act with puppet duck Orville has died of cancer.

The entertainer was diagnosed with the illness in 2013 and last year announced he had beaten it.

But the illness returned in January and the 67-year-old passed away this morning.

His agent Robert C Kelly paid tribute, calling him a “thoroughly decent man” as he announced his death.

He said: “I spoke to Keith most days, whether we had business to do or not. I think I laughed every single time we spoke.

“Keith was not only a technically great ventriloquist, he was also a gifted mimic and an extraordinarily funny man both on stage and off.

“Perhaps even rarer than that in showbiz, he was a thoroughly decent man, a great friend and a wonderful father and husband.”

Harris will be most remembered for his act with puppet Orville but he had a showbiz career which ran for over 50 years.

At his professional peak between 1982 and 1990, Harris had his own BBC1 Saturday night programme The Keith Harris Show. He also sold over 400,000 copies of his Orville song I wish I could fly, and he performed at private birthday parties for Prince William and Prince Harry.

Among those paying tribute were singer and broadcaster Aled Jones, who said: “Sad to hear of the death of Keith Harris - sending best wishes to his family and friends.”

Presenter Keith Chegwin tweeted: “So sad. A great entertainer and all round nice man Keith Harris has passed away. Best wishes to his family at this sad time. RIP x.”

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Very sad to hear that Keith Harris has died after a battle with cancer. Brought joy to my childhood.”

Although his popularity waned in line with the demise of variety, the entertainer never stopped working.

He developed an adult stage show featuring his ventriloquist puppets and in recent years became a panel show regular in shows such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks and reality TV such as Channel Five’s The Farm.

Keith Harris, who lived near Blackpool, was married four times. His fourth wife, Sarah, is a former model and the couple have two teenage children, Kitty, 15, and Shenton, 13.

Harris also leaves behind his daughter Skye, 27, from his first marriage.