'A dazzling talent': comedian Tony Slattery, star of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, dies at 65

The comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 after a heart attack, his partner has announced.

- Nadia Khomami

Slattery was known for his improvisations on the popular comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as well as his appearances on Just a Minute and Have I Got News for You.

A statement on behalf of Mark Michael Hutchinson, his partner of more than three decades, said: "It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening."

Paying tribute to Slattery, the comedian Sandi Toksvig said: "I don't think I ever met a more beautiful man than Tony Slattery. I was 19 when we met and thought he was astonishing.

"Stunning to look at, glorious smile, infectious laugh and a streak of kindness a mile wide. I loved him. We all did. In a crowded room of talent, he was the brightest and the best."

Clive Anderson, who hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?, said: "With quick wit and stunning good looks Tony was unfailingly funny and even more unfailingly outrageous. He would not use two words if a ruder one would do - the naughtiest kid in the class, adored by the studio audience and those watching on TV."

Born into a working-class family in north London in 1959, Slattery won a scholarship to study medieval and modern languages at Cambridge University.