George Cole funeral: Arthur Daley actor’s farewell set for Thursday with

Likewise, The Apprentice star Stuart Baggs died last week after suffering an asthma attack at his home on the Isle of Man, and now, veteran actor George Cole, best known for his role as dodgy-dealer Arthur Daley in the hit drama Minder, has passed away aged 90, after a short illness so ITV reports.

Dennis spent some time with George the day before he died and said his friend was making jokes up until the end.

Waterman, who sang the Minder theme tune, left the show to be replaced by Gary Webster for the final two series.

He attributed the success of his career to the late Alastair Sim, who became his mentor.

With “Arfur” Daley spending each episode munching on cigars as he hatched another scheme to get rich quick, his long-suffering bodyguard McCann watching over his every step to shield him from the police, Minder was one of the most popular programmes of the 1980s, garnering around 17.5 million viewers at its peak.

Cole appeared in a total of 11 films with Sim and also acted opposite Laurence Olivier in The Demi-Paradise and Olivier’s film version of Henry V.

He found himself consistently in work, on stage, television film and radio.

Cole, who was made an OBE in 1992, married his second wife Penny in 1967. He played Flavius in the 1963 epic play Cleopatra, opposite Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison.

Cole’s vast and varied acting CV includes roles in productions such as An Inspector Calls, Scrooge and most recently Marple, Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and Road Rage just this year!