Farewell to Sir Bruce Forsyth

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Bruce Forsyth attends a plaque unveiling ceremony at Hippodrome Casino on August 7, 2013 in London, England. Two plaques were unveiled; one to mark Bruce Forsyth's record breaking number of appearances at The Hippodrome and the second in tribute to Sammy Davis Junior. (Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)

The lavish tributes paid to his life and career since then have left no doubt that many will remember him as the greatest all-round British entertainer of all time.

The Scotsman newspaper recounts how failing health led him to announce that he was leaving Strictly Come Dancing in April 2014, after nearly 10 years as the presenter of the show.

Over the years he had showed no signs of slowing down and in 2013 stepped out on to the stage at Glastonbury to a standing ovation, where he performed a host of classic songs and teased Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger.

Sir Bruce cemented his place in the hearts of the nation following his stint as the host of ITV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1958.

He also hosted the BBC flagship show The Generation Game from 1971 to 1977 and again at the beginning of the 1990s. At its peak, the show attracted more than 20 million viewers.

In the course of his vast and many-sided career he danced with Sammy David Jnr, made a spectacular entrance as ring-master of satirical TV show Have I Got News For You, and became “showbiz royalty” for millions - over several generations.

He started his career in showbiz at the age of 14 with a show called Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom and made his first television appearance as a child in 1939.

Sir Bruce was a father-of-six, with five daughters from his first two marriages and one son from his last and current marriage, which was to Puerto Rican former Miss World, Wilnelia Merced.