ACTOR Bill Pertwee, who lived in Wadebridge for the last year of his life, died in the early hours of Monday morning. He was 86.
The actor was best known for playing Warden Hodges in Dad's Army, and also appeared in three Carry On films.
Mr Pertwee lived at Highpoint Lodge Residential Home in Molesworth Street.
On Sunday, he was airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske where he died at 3.30am on Monday surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his son Jonathan, who lives locally.
His son said: "He would give everything a go. He was very dedicated to the people around him and he was very dedicated to his charity work."
Mr Pertwee said his father had a continued affection for Dad's Army.
"He loved it. He loved the people in it, it was a big part of his life and he used to have a lot of fun with Clive (Dunn) and John Le Mesurier and Frank Williams and all of them. They just had a great bond."
Julie Law, who manages the residential home, described Mr Pertwee as a charming man.
"He was with us for a year, and had always intended to come and live in Wadebridge to be close to his family," said Mrs Law.
"He was always doing a lot for charity. Sometimes he would go off for a few days to Devon or London to do charity work.
"Mr Pertwee was always absolutely charming. Although he was a well-known actor, he just behaved like a normal person would, not like a celebrity, and he just fitted in with everyone else.
"He knew Wadebridge very well, and Wadebridge knew him, and everyone here will miss him," said Mrs Law.
His Dad's Army character was a greengrocer who became chief air raid warden when the Second World War broke out. His catchphrase was: "Put that light out."
He was a thorn in the side of Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson (played by Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier respectively), who called him "a common little man".
He was a founder member and the president of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society.
Jonathan Pertwee added: "Bill was really a very, very nice man – and not at all nasty as Hodges was but also he was very humble about the whole thing. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1999, and he'd always think how lucky he was."
His agent Meg Poole also paid tribute: "He was a really, really nice man. Very bright, very intelligent.
"He came from a big theatrical family, a big showbusiness family, and like all of them it was his life and it was very important to him; he was a hugely professional, very clever man.''
His wife, actress Marion McLeod, died in 2005. They were married for 45 years.
