Friday Night Dinner star Paul Ritter dies aged 54

The actor passed away with his wife and two sons by his side

The Friday Night Dinner star, Paul Ritter, has sadly died at the age of 54 from a brain tumour, it has been confirmed. The star was best-known for his role as the family patriarch, Martin Goodman, in Channel 4’s sitcom Friday Night Dinner. The much-loved actor starred alongside Simon Bird, Tamsin Greig and Tom Rosenthal. Ritter also starred in several films, including Quantum of Solace and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The actor's agent told The Guardian that Ritter died at his home with his family by his side. Ritter's agent said: "It is with great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away last night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side. He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumour. "Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill. He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly." The actor is set to appear in the Friday Night Dinner 10th anniversary retrospective, which will air on Channel 4 later this year. Fans have flocked to social media to pay tribute to the brilliant actor. https://twitter.com/morganjeffery/status/1379373898274369536 Morgan Jeffery, Executive Editor at Radio Times, paid tribute to Ritter on Twitter. In a Twitter post, he said: "What awful news about Paul Ritter. Such a fantastic, magnetic actor in Chernobyl, No Offence, The Hollow Crown and much more. And of course, Martin Goodman is one of the most brilliant and memorable comedy characters of the past several decades."