Christopher Lee, one of the most iconic actors in cinema history, has died at the age of 93.
He had been in hospital for respiratory problems and heart failure.
It is reported that he passed away on Sunday June 7 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital but a public announcement was delayed by his family until all relatives and friends had been informed.
Born in London in 1922, Christopher Frank Carandini Lee's career spanned eight decades and he was revered by generations of film fans.
Through his work with Hammer Films he found worldwide fame as Dracula and he made 20 films with Peter Cushing.
The vampire was one of a number of unforgettable characters he brought to life, with Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, Scaramanga in Bond adventure The Man with the Golden Gun, the biopic Jinnah and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series just some of the other films that showed his depth and range.
Along with his Lord of the Rings role, he became a favourite of a new generation as Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
He worked with director Tim Burton on Sleepy Hollow, The Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows.
Among his many other credits were Martin Scorsese's Hugo, Gormenghast, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Steven Spielberg's 1941, cult favourite The Devil Rides Out and The Mummy.
Christopher Lee's work as a singer - ranging from Wicker Man folk to disco to heavy metal - ran from the 1970s to the release of his final EP, Metal Knight, in 2014.
A World War Two veteran, Christopher Lee was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years Birgit, known as 'Gitte', daughter Christina and son-in-law Juan Francisco Aneiros Rodriguez.
So so sorry to hear that #christopherlee has passed away. He was a fascinating person. Threw a bic pen into a tree in front of me. #legend
— Dominic Monaghan (@DomsWildThings) June 11, 2015PM: Saddened to hear of Sir Christopher Lee's death, a titan of Golden Age of Cinema & distinguished WW2 veteran who'll be greatly missed
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) June 11, 2015An extraordinary man and life lead, Sir Christopher Lee. You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days. We'll miss you.
— Elijah Wood (@woodelijah) June 11, 2015Scared the living daylights out of me for years. And I loved him for it. RIP Christopher Lee pic.twitter.com/i2sKDXAMhU
— Omid Djalili (@omid9) June 11, 2015It's terribly when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948.
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) June 11, 2015The great, always criminally underrated Sir Christopher Lee has left us. A Titan of Cinema and a huge part of my youth. Farewell.
— Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) June 11, 2015We are very sad to hear Sir Christopher Lee, who played one of Bond's greatest villains, has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family
— James Bond (@007) June 11, 2015Sir Christopher Lee was married for 53 years. When asked for the secret of a long-lived marriage, he replied: “Marry someone wonderful.”
— Mark Sparrow (@MarkGSparrow) June 11, 2015Really sad at the passing of #ChristopherLee. Lucky 2 have met him once. Total Gent. Roles as varied as #Hammer #StarWars #LOTR & #Jinnah
— Sanjeev Bhaskar (@TVSanjeev) June 11, 2015