These are some of the last pictures taken of former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham just months before he passed away.
The TV star, who had recently returned to the UK for treatment after living for some time in Bulgaria, passed away yesterday morning aged 71, his agent announced.
New images of the former soap star looking frail have emerged today, with the 71-year-old hunched over and his hair thinning dramatically from previous years.
The small-screen actor’s face looked sunken as he trudges along in the pictures, which were taken in March.
Grantham had been visited by close friends from TV in the weeks before his death and he told some he had terminal cancer.
These are the last pictures taken of former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham just months before he passed away. The actor looks extremely frail and gaunt as he crosses the road
The TV star’s hair was visibly thinning and looked grey when pictured just a few months ago
Graham’s posture is poor as his shoulder are hunched forward. The star also appeared slightly slimmer than he had done in previous years. His appearance is not helped by the grey tinge in his skin
The actor who was known as ‘Dirty Den’ on EastEnders appears rather grey and struggling for breath as he crosses the road
His condition appeared to have detoriated rapidly, as photographs taken from 2017 show the actor with a far healthier glow and complexion.
In the photographs taken in March, the actor is hunched over and grimacing while the year before he appears upright and is fuller in the face.
Investigative journalist and former police detective Mark William-Thomas tweeted that he investigated Grantham based on information given to him regarding to Jimmy Saville case.
When asked by a follower whether there was any ‘foul play’, William-Thomas said he had ‘compelling evidence’ regarding his sexual antics.
However he came under attack for the timing of the tweet, which was hours after Grantham’s death was announced.
EastEnders stars have paid tribute to actor Leslie Grantham, who performances as ‘Dirty Den Watts’ captivated millions.
A statement from his representative said: ‘We formally announce the loss of Leslie Grantham, who passed away at 10.20am on the morning of Friday 15th June 2018.’
Grantham had been visited by close friends from TV in the weeks before his death and he told some he had terminal cancer.
Hollyoaks actor Joe Tracini tweeted: ‘Last week he could barely hold his head up or make a sound. I held his hand for a while, kissed his forehead and told him I loved him.
‘As I left, he bellow – “What am I f****** dying or something?” We’ll miss you, Les x’
Photographs taken of Graham last year him standing upright and having a much better complexion than he did in March
Leslie Grantham, pictured earlier this year filming in north London, has died aged 71
Grantham was best known for playing Den Watts alongside his on-screen wife Anita Dobson (left), who played Angie. He is pictured, right, with ex-wife Jane Lawrie. They divorced in 2013
Grantham shares three children, Spike, 31, Jake, 29, and Daniel, 23, with his ex-wife, Jane Laurie, who he was married to for 31 years.
His agent said: ‘His ex-wife and sons have asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time. There will be a private funeral which will be attended by close family and friends only.’
EastEnders co-stars and friends paid tribute to the veteran actor soon after his death was announced.
Co-star Letitia Dean, who played his on-screen adoptive daughter Sharon, said: ‘I have very special memories of working with Leslie and will cherish them always. He and Anita looked after me in my early days and showed me the ropes, always with care and kindness.
‘He never failed to make me laugh and I will remember him with love, affection and gratitude forever. See you up there Leslie! Thank you for everything. Love and respect always, Tish. X’
Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale, said: ‘I’m deeply saddened to hear the very sad news. I have so many happy memories of working with Leslie, he was always great fun and we shared many laughs.
‘Those iconic Christmas episodes were legendary and they will always be part of EastEnders history. My heart goes out to his loved ones. ‘
Dot Cotton actress June Brown said he ‘always had a twinkle in his eye when he said outrageous things’.
Grantham moved to Bulgaria, where he is pictured in a show called The English Neighbour in 2011, following the break-up of his marriage. He had recently flown back to the UK
Grantham looked tired when he was pictured in February filming a drama about the Kray twins
On-screen wife Anita Dobson pays tribute to ‘charming rogue’
Grantham’s death was announced at the same time as Anita Dobson, his on-screen wife for so many years, was attending the memorial service for another of her friends, Professor Stephen Hawking.
Dobson, who played Angie Watts in EastEnders over three decades, told BBC News that her former co-star was ‘the archetypal charming rogue’.
Anita Dobson, who played Grantham’s on-screen wife in EastEnders, was seen at Professor Stephen Hawking’s Service of Thanksgiving today when Grantham’s death was announced
She said: ‘He was a good-looking guy, he was a charmer, he was funny, he was a good actor. And he was fun to be around, we were good mates.
‘But I think there’s always that kind of look about him that you just didn’t know what he was going to do next, and that was his ace in the hole, there was always that bit about him that was slightly unpredictable, which I liked and what gave him the edge on TV.’
Dobson added: ‘I came from nothing, from the East End with no money, and Leslie, as you know, had a chequered life before EastEnders, but we sort of understood each other, we understood that life can be tough.
‘And we were fortunate, we were catapulted to an exotic place, but we were playing real people, people that we knew and we loved it.’
Tracy Ann Oberman, who starred opposite Grantham as his on-screen wife Chrissie Watts from 2004 until 2005, tweeted: ‘Really sorry to hear about Leslie Grantham. A very very good actor and one who created an iconic character with Dirty Den #RIPLeslieG.’
EastEnders’ executive consultant John Yorke said: ‘Everyone at EastEnders is deeply saddened to hear that Leslie has passed away.
‘We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.’
Ray also posted a screengrab, which showed Grantham advising him to ‘always eat a hearty breakfast’ because ‘it sets you up for the day’.
Grantham had looked frail when he was last seen in public in February filming for The Krays: Dead Man Walking, which is set for release in December.
Friends of the actor said he was ‘gaunt and grey’ in recent weeks and had been living alone in a friend’s empty terrace house London.
A friend, who asked not to be named, said this week: ‘Last time I saw him I said to him, ‘you alright Les?’. He said: ‘I’m fine’ but from the outside he looked bad.
‘He was positive about it all but once you get cancer. He was saying he had it. He said he had it and it went but it came back.’
Grantham is understood to have been single in his final months, having said in 2016 that he didn’t want to ‘mess up someone else’s life’.
He told an interviewer: ‘I’ve messed up so many people’s lives, why mess up someone else’s?’ I don’t get lonely because I have friends. And when I’m writing, that’s the world I live in.’
In an unlikely comeback, he returned to EastEnders in 2003 before leaving for good in 2005
Grantham told an interviewer in 2016 that he had remained single since splitting from his wife. He is pictured, right, with his on-screen family played by Anita Dobson and Letitia Dean
Grantham became famous playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989.
A 1986 Christmas Day episode drew an audience of more than 30 million viewers, who watched as Watts handed over divorce papers to on-screen wife Angie.
His character was apparently killed off in 1989 but made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.
Grantham had originally been a soldier, having enlisted in the British Army in 1965 and being sent to West Germany with the Royal Fusiliers.
In 1966, however, he was involved in a struggle with a taxi driver he was attempting to rob in Osnabruck, Lower Saxony.
The driver, Felix Reese, was shot in the head and died and, in 1967, Grantham was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Former co-stars and friends paid tribute to the actor on Twitter following his death today
It was during his time behind bars – he spent ten years in British jails – that he first took to acting.
Speaking about his past in 2016, Grantham said: ‘Life isn’t a straight line. It’s like travelling the motorway. Every now and then, you have to take a diversion. Unfortunately, some of my diversions have been quite catastrophic. But I’m safe in the knowledge that what I do now is good.
‘Of course I have regrets, but you can’t go round wearing a hair shirt all your life, otherwise you’ll never get out of bed in the morning. I f***** up, now I’m going to move on.’
In 2004, Grantham was exposed by a Sunday newspaper after he took part in webcam chats while performing sex acts and sucking his finger in his dressing room.
He apologised to his family for the embarrassment but later said he was ‘set up’.
Grantham said he was so devastated after the scandal that he attempted suicide.
Grantham, with co stars Anita Dobson, Tom Watt), Nick Berry, Gretchen Franklin and Gillian Taylforth in 1975
In other tributes today: Blue singer Antony Costa, who starred alongside Grantham in Dunstable’s Cinderella pantomime in 2015, said: ‘Just heard the news my friend and ex panto colleague Leslie Grantham has passed.
‘RIP big man…loved working with ya in panto…you made me laugh and I learnt a lot from you too..absolutely gutted. You was West Ham…I am spurs but that didn’t matter. x’
Citizen Khan star Adil Ray tweeted: ‘What a life Leslie Grantham led. Brilliant character in EE. He was proof of how you can turn your life around.
‘He was kind enough to give me some nutrition advice last summer too! Rest in peace. Thoughts with Leslie’s family and friends.’
Former soldier was convicted of murder as a teenager but discovered acting in prison and went on to become one of Britain’s best-known soap stars
Grantham was jailed for murdering a taxi driver while he was a soldier in Germany. He is pictured being marched to his court martial in 1966
Leslie Grantham was known to millions of viewers for his role as adulterous Queen Vic landlord Dirty Den.
More than 30 million viewers tuned in to see Den Watts serve divorce papers to wife Angie, played by Anita Dobson, in the famous episode on Christmas Day 1986, with the words ‘Happy Christmas, Ange’.
Dirty Den was believed to have been shot dead by a hitman in 1989, but Grantham made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.
And some 17 million viewers watched his return to the BBC One soap.
Off screen, London-born Grantham had an eventful personal life.
He was born in Camberwell, south London and, according to his sister, burgled houses from the age of 15.
He joined the Army in his teens and, aged 18 and serving in Germany in 1966, he was convicted of murdering a German taxi driver, Felix Reese, during an alleged robbery.
Grantham always denied the charge. He is said to have told his parents it was an accident but his sister, with whom he fell out, suspected he had run up debts in Germany and needed some money.
Grantham pictured outside Walford’s Queen Vic pub, the place where many will remember him
Grantham served an 11-year sentence and later returned to Leyhill Open Prison in Gloucestershire as a VIP guest to open an art exhibition.
He said the jail fostered his interest in amateur dramatics.
After his release, he was signed up for EastEnders and, shortly afterwards, the details of his past crime were reported.
Rather than being an embarrassment for the show, the news boosted ratings and Grantham’s notoriety. He became an overnight sex symbol and women would ask them to sign their breasts.
Grantham turned his life around after being convicted of murder as a teenager
In 2004, Grantham was exposed after taking part in webcam sex sessions from his EastEnders dressing room at Elstree Studios.
He issued an apology for the scandal, which had also seen him criticise his co-stars, describing his actions as ‘a moment’s stupidity’ of which he was ‘wholeheartedly ashamed’.
Dirty Den was killed off for the second and final time – by his second wife Chrissie, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman – in 2005. More than 14 million viewers watched Den’s demise.
Grantham felt that EastEnders was not what it once was.
‘With Den and Angie, one minute he’d make you laugh, the next he’d cut your legs off. There was humour. Everyone thought Den was a lovable rogue. He wasn’t evil, he was just Jack the lad,’ he told the Press Association.
‘When he came back a second time, he suddenly became this Machiavellian character. I’m not saying it was better when I was in it, but when you’re doing four episodes a week, you can’t keep up that level of consistency.’
Grantham and actress Jane Laurie, the mother of his three sons, divorced in 2013 after being married for more than 30 years.
He said of the split: ‘It’s very sad. I am to blame. It’s not Jane’s fault. She is a fantastic mother. It’s very sad but we have to move on now. The marriage was a huge chapter of my life and the divorce is a very sad episode.’
Spike, the eldest of his three children, is a successful executive for the ESL Gaming Network and lives in Los Angeles with his partner Lauren Slater.
His younger brother Jake is a luxury menswear entrepreneur, specialising in Italian tailoring.
Daniel, the youngest of the three brothers, is a successful actor with Down’s syndrome who has appeared on Call the Midwife.
Having almost disappeared from the small screen, Grantham in his later years focused on touring theatre work and panto.
Grantham, pictured launching his book ‘Life and Other Times: A Memoir’
In 2016 he published his debut children’s fantasy novel Jack Bates And The Wizard’s Spell.
He was offered reality shows but turned down what he called ‘humiliation TV’.
Grantham moved to Bulgaria after making friends in the country while filming soap The English Neighbour in 2010.
Speaking in 2013, he said: ‘I made a lot of friends out there and I am planning to move out when the financial details of my divorce are finalised.
‘I am an old man now and I want to go somewhere it is hot. I really enjoyed it there. I had to learn Bulgarian and even Hungarian. They said they were going to dub the show for me but on the first day of filming I had to speak Bulgarian.’
In one of his last interviews, he said: ‘Life isn’t a straight line. It’s like travelling the motorway. Every now and then, you have to take a diversion,’ he said.
‘Unfortunately, some of my diversions have been quite catastrophic. But I’m safe in the knowledge that what I do now is good.’
Grantham’s character took centre stage as EastEnders ratings soared
Leslie Grantham played a key role in some of EastEnders’ most explosive storylines and remains one of the soap’s most famous stars.
Appearing in the series’ first ever episode in 1985, Grantham starred as Den Watts – later receiving the nickname ‘Dirty’ after getting his adopted teenage daughter’s 16-year-old friend pregnant.
His tumultuous marriage to alcoholic wife Angie captivated the nation and more than 30 million people – at the time over half of the UK population – tuned in to the 1986 Christmas special to watch Den present her with divorce papers.
Grantham with Peter Dean as Pete Beale not long after he started on the show
Grantham first left Albert Square in 1989 after a criminal gang he was involved with, called The Firm, tried to kill him.
Viewers were led to believe he had died, but the character returned to the soap in September 2003, when it was revealed he had faked his death and fled to Spain.
It later emerged that, while in exile, Den had remarried. His estranged wife, Chrissie, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, joined him in Albert Square but was incensed by his repeated infidelity.
She ended up killing him in the Queen Vic, beating him over the head with an iron doorstop.
Eventually, Chrissie was jailed for the crime and Den was buried in his original grave next to Angie.
Grantham’s final appearance in EastEnders was on the soap’s 20th anniversary.
He later returned to the show and his pictured with his second on-screen wife, Chrissie, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, shortly before he departured from the show