Tragic dementia battle of 'Allo 'Allo star: Gorden Kaye died after secret two-year fight with the disease that left him unable to recognise family... or himself

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Allo Allo star Gorden Kaye died after a secret two-year fight with dementia that left him unable to recognise his family.

The comic actor, 75, died from kidney failure at his care home on Monday morning, but his family has claimed that his passing was a 'blessing' because he would never have recovered.

The husband of Kaye's cousin Sheila, Raymound Shuttleworth, who visited star two weeks before he died, said: 'He has not been well for a while but he was coping and it was renal failure which finished him off.

Actor Gorden Kaye, best known for BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!, died aged 75. He is shown with 'Allo 'Allo! stars Sue Hodge, Kim Hartman, Kirsten Cooke, Vicki Michelle and Carmen Silvera

'We were warned it would be fairly fatal. I don't feel too sad because it was a blessing he died. No way was he going to get any better.

'He had also been diagnosed with dementia two years ago and he didn't recognise us any longer and just talked a lot of nonsense. He didn't even recognise himself. But he had amazing staff looking after him, they have been absolutely incredible.

'He had no brothers or sisters, just a few cousins, he never got married and was a lone survivor till the end. And it was just a case of surviving and he was very lonely. That is all very sad.'

Retired college lecturer Raymond, 86, paid tribute to his famous relative as 'a brilliant actor, a comic genius, who brought a lot of joy to many people.' 

He said: 'It is a shame. He made his contribution more than most and he is still making people laugh today.'

Kaye was best known for his role as Rene Artois in the popular BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo which made light of the Nazi occupation of France.

The BAFTA nominated comic actor also appeared in Last of the Summer Wine, Are You Being Served?, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Raymond added: 'He always appreciated his fans saying 'They're my bread and butter' and he always stopped to sign autographs in the street.'

Actor Gorden Kaye, pictured with co-star Vicki Michelle, died at his care home in Yorkshire

Only child Kaye described himself as a 'shy, gay and overweight boy' and he remained a bachelor. He has very few surviving family members left.

Raymond and grief-stricken wife Sheila, 84, from Coalville in Leicestershire, are now busy planning the actor's funeral in the star's home town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

They hope his former co-stars including Vicki Michelle will attend.

Michelle posted on Twitter: 'So sad to hear news of Gorden Kaye. A brilliantly talented actor consummate professional, loved the world over. There'll never be another Rene.'

Father-of-two Raymond said that sadly many of his friends snubbed him since he had gone to live in a care home. 

He said: 'Not many people from London visited him, just one or two but not recently, they just seemed to forget about him. Me and my wife went up whenever we could but we're too old to drive and it's difficult by train and taxi.'

Their son Ian, 56, visited him last week at the Thistle Hill Care Home in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. 

Raymond said: 'Ian told me he was just sat in a chair and didn't look well at all.'

'Allo 'Allo!'s Vicki Michelle led the tributes to Kaye. She wrote on Twitter: 'So sad to hear news of Gorden Kaye. A brilliantly talented actor consummate professional, loved the world over'

He told how the tee-total star – who cheated death in a horrific car crash in 1990 - 'smoked a bit but never touched alcohol.' 

Raymond explained: 'He had moved to a big house in Yeadon near Leeds in 2000 and lived all alone there then spent the last years of his life in three different care homes, moving into Thistle Hill four or five months ago.

He recalled his last visit, saying: 'Gorden was sat up and talking but he didn't know us any more, he was saying all sorts of things but it didn't mean anything. He was in his own little world, one assumes he was unhappy but he was at that stage with the dementia that he may just not be aware.'

Raymond told how staff from the care home called him and housewife Sheila to break the news at 11am on Monday. 

He explained: 'He had been all on his own. An hour later news of his death was all over Twitter and I thought 'How on earth has that got out so quick?' '

He added: 'I like to remember sitting with him and talking to him and remembering what a brilliant actor he was. 'Allo 'Allo was his best role. He was in 84 episodes of that which have been shown across the world and Germany was the last country to take it which is ironic as the show took the mickey out of the Germans.'

Raymond fondly recalls being invited to screenings with his wife on many occasions. He said: 'We were in the audience a lot at one time and did he make us laugh.

'He may have been forgotten by his acting friends but he'll never be forgotten by us, his family, and his legions of fans.'