British actor Simon Shelton Barnes, best known for playing Teletubbies character Tinky Winky, has died just days before his 52nd birthday.<\/p>\n
The actor, a trained ballet dancer and choreographer, played the purple Teletubby for years on the show and was “taken so suddenly” according to niece Emily Atack, after collapsing on a Liverpool street.<\/p>\n
It is reported that he passed of hypothermia. <\/p>\n
Flatmate Judith Tyan has paid tribute saying: “I’m very floored at losing him, he was just the best company. He was just the best person to live with and we got on terribly well.”<\/em><\/p>\n
“I’m gobsmacked at losing him. He was charming and handsome and delicate and so lovely to be around. He wasn’t difficult, he was pleasurable and a delicate man.”<\/em><\/p>\n
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