By Katy Hallam,Liam de Brun
Copyright birminghammail
Only Fools and Horses legend David Jason has expressed that he is ‘very saddened’ in a heartfelt tribute to his late co-star Patrick Murray after his death. It was confirmed on Thursday (October 2) that the actor died peacefully in his sleep on Monday (September 29). With family and friends by his side during his final moments, the 68 year old was most famous for his portrayal of Mickey Pearce in the beloved BBC comedy. Read more Only Fools and Horses’ Patrick Murray’s life from tragic health battle to career after ‘work dried up’ Featuring in 20 episodes of the series from 1983 to 2003, Mickey was a mate of Del Boy and Rodney. The opportunist would frequently exploit Rodney’s lack of business savvy, boasting wildly about his success with cash and romance, reports the Manchester Evening News . Beyond his role in Only Fools, Patrick featured in films including Scum and Quadrophenia, Curse of the Pink Panther and The Firm throughout his career. As tributes from admirers across the globe keep flooding in, 85 year old David issued a statement after learning of Patrick’s passing. He said: “I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Patrick after his difficult health battles. “It is always a great loss to the Only Fools cast and crew as the show was, and still is, like a big family and another one of our friends has passed away. “I would like to send my condolences to Patrick’s family and friends.” A BBC spokesperson added: “We are very sad to hear of the passing of Patrick Murray, much loved for his role as Mickey in Only Fools and Horses, our thoughts are with his friends and family.” Among those paying tribute was Carol Challis, wife of Only Fools and Horses legend John Challis, who portrayed Boycie in the series and its spin-off The Green Green Grass. “My condolences to Pat’s beloved wife Anong and their daughter Josie,” she penned on X, formerly known as Twitter. In July 2021, Patrick informed his fans that he had been diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove an early-stage lung tumour, followed by chemotherapy in January 2022. Later scans discovered another tumour in his liver, unrelated to his lung cancer, but also treatable. In a health update in May 2022, Patrick shared that his oncologist had told him his ‘lung cancer was cured and that the tumour in my liver was shrinking’, however, by April 2023, he disclosed that his lung cancer had returned.
