TV host, actor and radio presenter Nicholas Parsons – a regular visitor to Bristol as a child – has died following a short illness.
His death on January 28 was confirmed by his agent Jean Diamond.
She issued a statement on behalf of his family which said: "Nicholas passed away in the early hours of the 28th of January after a short illness at the age of 96.
"He was with his beloved family who will miss him enormously and who wish to thank the wonderful staff at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital."
Mr Parsons, also known for presenting Sale Of The Century in the 1970s, had hosted radio comedy show Just A Minute since its inception in 1967.
The beloved BBC Radio 4 panel show features celebrities like Paul Merton, Graham Norton, Josie Lawrence and Sara Pascoe, who must speak for 60 seconds "without hesitation, repetition or deviation" while swerving challenges from their rivals.
As a youngster, Mr Parsons was a regular visitor to Bristol as his mother’s family lived in the city.
He gave an interview to the Bristol Post while in the city to celebrate his 50th anniversary as host of Just a Minute with an evening at Clifton’s Redgrave Theatre.
Mr Parsons described how he used to visit the city as his great grandfather had a joiners shop.
His grandfather Walter built up the business, expanding it into B Maggs and Co before it was sold off.
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He told the Bristol Post: “I knew Bristol quite well when I was young because my mother’s family come from the city.
“We used to come down to Bristol quite often and stay in a lovely house in Westbury-on-Trym.”
Mr Parsons was also a regular at the Bristol Hippodrome in the 1990s when he was invited to compere a charity gala.
He was one of the star comperes, alongside Larry Grayson and Bob Monkouse, for the Russ Conway Cancer Fund gala.
The gala raised tens of thousands of pounds and attracted packed audiences with the money going to CLIC.
The galas were organised by Bristol based writer and director Richard Hope-Hawkins and Russ Conway.
Mr Hope Hawkins said: “Nicholas was the most professional professional I have even come across.
“He was meticulous with timings and used to rehearse religiously.
“He was generous for his time and appeared for me four or five times in the city.”
Mr Parsons grew up in Grantham, Lincolnshire, and from a young age wanted to be a performer.
He trained as a mechanical engineer working for 10 years on the Clydebank in Scotland.
After the war he went to London to follow his dream of becoming an actor.
He got a copy of The Stage and started to write applications, getting auditions and then an agent before securing his first part in a West End show.
After a stint touring with a repertory theatre – when he learnt his famous diction – he started to get radio and TV work, and in 1967 took part in the pilot for Just A Minute.
Mr Parsons received an OBE in 2004 for his services to drama and broadcasting, then promoted to CBE in 2014 for charitable services.
He leaves behind his second wife Ann Reynolds and his two adult children from his first marriage.
