Mark Gatiss has shared his heartbreak at the death of his beloved dad Maurice.
The Sherlock star, 54, took to his Twitter account on Sunday evening to share the sad news with his fans.
He posted a string of photos of Maurice, who was 89-years-old, through the years and in recent times, as he thanked NHS staff for looking after Maurice in his final days.
In the first snap, Maurice was a young man and looked dapper in a smart suit, and was also seen in his younger years in a photo from his wedding to Mark's mother Winnifred, who died in 2003.
The final image was of Maurice in more recent years, smiling for the camera.
Mark captioned the images: "My dear old Dad passed away this morning just shy of his 90th birthday.
"Maurice was a wonderful man and a real character right to the end."
The TV star also paid tribute to the staff at Bishop Auckland Hospital for looking after Maurice.
Mark continued the tweet: "Huge thanks to the brilliant staff on Ward 16 of #NHS Bishop Auckland Hospital for all their kindnesses."
"Go well, my beloved father," he finished the post followed by a red love heart emoji.
His fans and famous friends sent Mark their best wishes, including Sex and The City's Kim Cattrall, who wrote: "RIPx You look so like him."
Eddie Marsan tweeted: "I'm so sorry Mark, sending all my love and condolences to you."
"Oh Mark. I'm so sorry. Sending huge love to you xxx," Rebecca Front said.
Nigella Lawson wrote: "I'm so sorry. May his memory be a blessing."
Maurice was an engineer and had been married to Mark's late mother Winifred until she passed away in 2003.
Mark shot to fame as a member of the sketch comedy group The League of Gentlemen, alongside Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.
He has also starred in Doctor Who and as Mycroft Holmes in the BBC drama Sherlock.
The actor and director created the BBC series with showrunner Steven Moffat.
