Home » Fawlty Towers’ Manuel – Andrew Sachs – Passes Away at 86

Fawlty Towers’ Manuel – Andrew Sachs – Passes Away at 86

Andrew Sachs of Fawlty Towers fame passed away last week at the age of 86, in a care home, after suffering from a secret four-year battle with dementia, it has been announced. His wife Melody, whom he married 56 years ago, made the announcement Thursday saying: “My heart has been broken every day for a long […]

02-12-16 01:50

Andrew Sachs of Fawlty Towers fame passed away last week at the age of 86, in a care home, after suffering from a secret four-year battle with dementia, it has been announced.

His wife Melody, whom he married 56 years ago, made the announcement Thursday saying: “My heart has been broken every day for a long time.”

She said despite his battle, “I never once heard him grumble”. She revealed that “it didn’t get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it.”

Sachs was most famous for his role as Spanish waiter Manuel in the iconic Fawlty Towers sitcom, co-starring John Cleese (watch below).

Sachs was not Spanish. He was actually born in Berlin, Germany, but moved with his parents to North London before the Second World War.

He married Melody in 1960 and they had a daughter Kate, as well as Melody’s two children from a previous marriage. Apart from roles in various local British productions, Sachs was in the headlines in 2008 when he was prank called by comedian Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross on the latter’s BBC radio show. They left obscene messages about Brand’s relationship with Sach’s grand-daughter… which left him “disgusted”.

The much-loved and talented actor was buried on Thursday 1 December.

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