Non! Rene from ‘Allo ‘Allo! has died aged 75
Actor Gorden Kaye has died aged 75.
According to his agent, he passed away Monday morning at the care home where he lived.
The star was best known for his role in ‘Allo ‘Allo, where he played cafe owner Rene Artois.
He appeared in all 84 episodes of the show for a decade until 1992, and reprised the role 1,2000 times in the stage adaptation.
The star came out as gay in the 1980s.
A tabloid expose outed him as being gay, before eventually writing of the issue himself in a later book.
Kaye authored his autobiography, Rene & Me: A Sort of Autobiography in 1989, in which he described his experiences as a shy, gay, overweight youth.
According to the book’s synopsis, “Gordon Kaye won the sympathy and admiration of the country by facing up to the situation and telling the truth about his homosexuality.”
He nearly died a year after the release of the book, after being in a horrific car crash.
The actor subsequently recovered from his injuries, and was able to continue acting.
His last new role was in BBC sketch show Revolver, which aired in 2004.
He would later return to the role of Rene in 2007 in a one-off TV special, and subsequently a stage show in Australia that summer.