Former James Bond star Sir Roger Moore has died in Switzerland at the age of 89 after a short battle with cancer, his family has announced.
A message shared on the actor's official Twitter account read: "With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated."
The statement continued: "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer.
"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone."
Moore portrayed Bond on seven occasions, beginning with 1973's Live and Let Die and finishing 12 years later in A View To A Kill.
The debonair star, who added a distinct light-hearted touch to the 007 role, also admitted that, while he thought Sir Sean Connery had been the greatest Bond, fans were "lucky" to have the current star of the franchise, Daniel Craig.
"I think that Sean was obviously the great Bond," Moore said.
"He was obviously the right person, he brought the right personality to the performance, otherwise Bond would not have gone on past the first six that he did. He was a tremendous Bond.
"Today, I think we're very lucky to have Daniel Craig because he is quite extraordinary. I always say that Sean looked like a killer - but Daniel Craig would finish it off.
"When I saw Casino Royale, I thought that Daniel Craig did more action in the first seven minutes than I did in seven movies."
While arguably best known for his role as 007, Sir Roger will also be remembered for his work in TV's The Saint in the 1960s.
He once joked of his role as Simon Templar in the spy thriller series, which he also produced: "When I was doing The Saint on television I had two expressions; as Bond I've managed to work up to four."
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