Only Fools And Horses stars David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst have
paid tribute to co-star Buster Merryfield, who has died aged 78.  The
veteran actor, who was known to millions as Uncle Albert in the BBC One
show, had been undergoing treatment for a brain tumour. His wife Iris - to
whom he was married for 57 years - was at his bedside when he died.

David Jason, who played Del Boy Trotter in the show, said: "Buster
Merryfield is a great loss personally as well, of course, to his family and
the rest of the country.  "He was a great man and a joy to work with and I
willseriously miss him both as a friend and as an actor."

Nicholas Lyndhust, who played Rodney, said: "I was shocked and
saddened to hear of Buster's death.  "He was a gentle, sweet-natured man
and he will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. He made the
part of Uncle Albert a national institution." His agent Sandy Ross-Brown
revealed he was being treated at Poole General Hospital, Dorset, for a
brain tumour.

White-whiskered Merryfield, who lived in Bournemouth, was admitted to
hospital 11 days ago.  He became a national institution after joining the hit
comedy Only Fools and Horses in 1984. Since the final show was aired at
Christmas 1996, Merryfield made numerous personal appearances.
Before becoming an actor at the age of 57, he worked in banking for 40
years. He always prided himself on his fitness, following a strict fitness
regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions. Unlike his TV character,
the pipe-sucking Uncle Albert, Merryfield never smoked. His efforts to
stay fit could be traced back to his time as a child boxing star in the 1930s.
He was British schoolboy champion in 1936 and Southern Command army
champion in 1945.

Merryfield caught the acting bug during World War II when he was a
physical training and jungle warfare instructor.  As sports and
entertainment's officer he organized shows for the troops. One night when
a compere went sick he was forced to step in and his future was sealed. The
BBC screened a scheduled edition of Only Fools and Horses as planned on
Wednesday the 24th of June after Merryfield's family gave it their blessing.