Archie Lyndhurst’s mother today shared a poignant tribute to her ‘wonderful unique son’ following his death at the age of 19.
The actor, who was the beloved son of Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst and his wife Lucy Smith, died at his family home in West London after a short illness.
The teenager starred in the hit CBBC show So Awkward as Ollie Coulton and also appeared as a young Jack Whitehall in the BBC’s Bad Education in 2014.
Today his mother shared a touching tribute to her son on the comedian Jack Whitehall’s Instagram page.
Ms Smith, who had been responding to an Instagram tribute posted by Whitehall, also thanked the comedian for the ‘kindness and friendship’ he had given her son over the years.
Archie Lyndhurst died at the age of 19 at his family home in West London following a short illness
Archie, who was the beloved son of Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst and his wife Lucy Smith, starred in the hit CBBC show So Awkward as Ollie Coulton
She wrote: ‘Dearest Jack. Thank you for all the amazing opportunities you put Archie’s way and the kindness and friendship you have always given him over the years.
‘He loved every moment of every job and relished in the fantastic scripts you wrote. But it went further than that like you said.
‘He loved all of dearly, as do we. And a lifelong friendship has ensued. I love the picture up the tree.
‘I remember him being asked to move along a bit to make room and he called out ‘ooo, I’ve snaggged me fishnets now!”
‘Then not wanting to take the false beard of after the palladium as he wanted to look like you. We shall love him forever and a day and are the luckiest parents to have had the most wonderful unique son who has bought us nothing but joy in our lives.’
In his tribute, Whitehall described Archie as an ‘enthusiastic and talented boy’ who would ‘never be forgotten’ and who ‘would have continued lighting up the lives of all those who encountered him’.
He wrote: ‘I write this with an extremely heavy heart. Archie Lyndhurst came into my life nearly ten years ago, playing the young me in a short film I’d written. He was brilliant, so talented and funny. An utter joy to work with.
Today Archie’s mother shared a touching tribute to her son and described him as a ‘wonderful unique son’
The actor, whose father Nicholas Lyndhurst famously played Rodney Trotter in the long-running BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses, had been acting since the age of 11
Archie with his So Awkward co-stars Sophia Dall’aglio (left) and Cleo Demetriou (right) at the Children’s Baftas last year. Archie had appeared in the hit CBBC show since 2005
‘So much so that it proved to be the start of a wonderful partnership, we did a skit at the London Palladium, he played me again in a sketch for my arena tour and special, and when we needed to find an actor to play the young Alfie Wickers in Bad Education it was the easiest piece of casting we ever had to do.
‘Every time I worked with Archie he was the same – passionate, generous and pitch perfect, he was loved by everyone on set. I have no doubt he would have had a long and illustrious career and would have continued lighting up the lives of all those who encountered him.
‘The enthusiastic and talented boy I met all those years ago had grown into an equally charming young man, during lockdown he would take shopping and groceries to my parents house for them when they couldn’t leave the house, it’s testament to what a wonderful and kind person he was.
‘The world has been robbed of a truly special soul. He will never be forgotten, I feel utterly devastated that he is gone but i also feel so blessed to have met him. Goodbye Archie.’
Archie, whose father Nicholas Lyndhurst famously played Rodney Trotter in the long-running BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses, rose to fame in the CBBC drama So Awkward- a sitcom about a group of schoolchildren.
He also voiced a character in the video game Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward.
The actor also appeared as a young Jack Whitehall in the BBC’s Bad Education in 2014.
The teenager appeared with his father Nicholas Lyndhurst in an episode of CBBC drama So Awkward
Following his son’s death, Nicholas Lyndhurst said in a statement: ‘Lucy and I are utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy’.
Only Fools and Horses star John Challis, who played Aubrey ‘Boycie’ Boyce in the show, tweeted: ‘The saddest news of all today. The death of Archie Lyndhurst, just starting out on his chosen career in acting. My heart aches for Nick and Lucy. They could not have loved him more.’
Sue Holderness, who played Boycie’s wife Marlene in the sitcom, said: ‘It is too sad to hear that Archie Lyndhurst has died. My heart goes out to his mum and dad and to all who knew him.’
Meanwhile Archie’s friend Small, who also starred in So Awkward as Rob Edwards, said in a tribute: ‘To my brother Archie. I still can’t quite comprehend that you have passed.
‘You still had so much life to live and I’d give anything for you to keep on living it.
‘My heart aches all day and everyday thinking about you and I just wish I could talk to you just one more time so you could know how much I loved you. I vow to make you proud with every last breath. Love you from now until infinity. Rest in power bro.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We’re so sorry to have to tell you that Archie Lyndhurst, who so brilliantly played Ollie in So Awkward on CBBC, has very sadly died after a short illness.
‘Archie will be hugely missed by all who worked with him, and by all the fans who laughed along with Ollie in the show.’
Police officers and paramedics were called to the actor’s family home in Fulham on September 22 following reports of a ‘concern for welfare’.
Archie, who had a brief role in Casualty in 2018, was declared dead at the scene in an ‘unexplained but not suspicious’ death which is not being investigated by police, who have passed a file to the coroner.