By Lisa McLoughlin

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Only Fools and Horses star Patrick Murray has died at the age of 68.

The actor, best known for playing wheeler dealer Mickey Pearce in the beloved sitcom, had battled lung cancer in recent years and revealed in 2023 that the illness had spread to his legs and pelvis.

News of his death was confirmed in a statement shared on an Only Fools fanpage, which read: “It is with heartfelt sadness that we report the death of our friend Patrick Murray – Mickey Pearce to so many.

“He was a regular attendee of our conventions, and we will miss his humour and the joy he brought to many.”

Tributes quickly followed from fans and colleagues.

The Only Fools podcast posted on X: “This never gets easier … rest in peace, Patrick Murray. Patrick was a very talented & clever actor with impeccable timing. He really bought ‘Mickey Pearce’ to life with a mischievous charm.”

One fan wrote: “Such sad news. A lovely gentleman. Thank you for the laughs where he’ll live on forever. Rest in peace.”

“Patrick used to be a cabby in Blackheath in the 90s and often I would get him to drive me home after a late night out at the pub… he would do this in between his bouts of acting,” another recalled.

“This is very sad news.”

Murray played Mickey in 20 episodes of Only Fools and Horses between 1983 and 2003, often clashing with Rodney while bragging about his supposed success in business and with women.

After the show ended, he appeared in films including The Firm and Curse of the Pink Panther, but later stepped away from acting to work as a taxi driver in Kent.

His life away from the screen was equally eventful.

In the 1990s he briefly ran a pub before struggling with alcoholism, later recovering through Alcoholics Anonymous.

He also lived in Thailand for a decade, marrying his wife Anong in 2016 and welcoming their daughter Josie soon after.

Murray eventually returned to the UK, but revealed on Loose Women in 2018 that his family faced difficulties with visas, forcing him to spend years working as a chauffeur while separated from them.

“Being out of the industry for so long, the work dried up so I went back to driving an executive car, a Mercedes, to do it,” he shared. “I only saw my baby on the phone for two years, I was a Skype dad.”

Murray enjoyed an acting comeback in 2019 with a role in the series Conditions, but his health continued to decline.

After being given the all-clear from lung cancer in 2022, he announced a year later that the disease had returned and spread to his legs and pelvis.