EastEnders actor Mike Reid dies of a massive heart attack

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The actor and comedian, best known for playing Frank Butcher in the BBC1 soap, died after suffering a massive heart attack in Marbella in Spain, where he lived.

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Heart attack victim: Mike Reid has died

Reid, who was born in Hackney in 1940, began his career in the Sixties as a stuntman, including working as a double for Roger Moore in The Saint.

He went on to become a stand-up comic, and one of the original stars of Seventies TV series The Comedians. Later that decade he hosted ITV children's quiz show Runaround - fondly remembered for its incomprehensible rules and the incongruity of Reid as presenter.

It was not until 1987 that his big break came when he secured the part of Frank Butcher in EastEnders.

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Famous role: Mike Reid as Frank Butcher in EastEnders

Watch Frank Butcher propose to Pat in EastEnders below

He married twice, first to Sheila in 1958 and then to Shirley in 1967.

Reid had three children - a daughter and two sons. In 1990 his son Mark, 25, committed suicide by dousing himself with lighter fluid and igniting it. An inquest heard it happened after his girlfriend broke off their engagement.

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Children's TV show: Reid in Runaround show from 1976

Comedian Frank Carson, who was a close friend of Reid, said the news of the actor's death was "absolutely devastating". He added: "We have just lost our friend Bernard Manning a fortnight ago."

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Tragedy: With son Mark, who killed himself in 1990

Actor Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell in East-Enders, said: "Mike was a lovely man and a good actor. He gave me a lot of advice which has often helped me."

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Stand-up: His career began in the clubs

Pam St Clements, who played Reid's on-screen wife Pat, said: "It has come as a terrible shock. Somebody larger than life as Mike, as a person and character, seemed indestructible."

One of the soap's most memorable moments was when Frank, in a bid to win Pat back, turned up on her doorstep wearing nothing but a flashing dickie bow.