Keith Floyd dies

Celebrity chef Keith Floyd has died of a heart attack, aged 65.

Keith Floyd has died following a heart attack at his partner’s home in Dorset, the BBC reports. The celebrity chef, known for his groundbreaking ’80s cookery shows where he seldom appeared without a wine glass, had been battling bowel cancer since June this year. Tributes from fellow celebrity chefs have been quick to pour in.

"What he did to inspire a nation, I don't know another man who has done what he has done,” Hell’s Kitchen star Marco Pierre White said. "He had this great ability at the stove, great confidence. He was a natural cook. But his very special talent was he could articulate himself and deliver inspiration with words. He spoke in a way that everybody could understand. A little piece of Britain died yesterday which will never be replaced. He was an individual, he was a maverick, he was mercurial, he was magical, he was special, he was rare."

This Morning’s resident chef Phil Vickery offered similarly high praise. "He didn't live in the sanitised world of perfect studio cookery, he was out and about, he loved his drink and he loved engaging with other people,” he said. "I think he was the untitled British gentleman abroad cooking."

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