He was 98.

The actor also starred in the Carry On movie franchise.

Paying tribute, his wife Zara, 63, told The Sun: “I've lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman.

"He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went," she said.

"When we married he cheekily introduced me to the Press as royalty, insisting I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the Queen," she said.

Phillips' agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed the star died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, reports BBC.

He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases.

He appeared in the Carry On and Doctor in the House film series as well as the long-running BBC radio comedy series The Navy Lark.

In his later career, Phillips took on dramatic parts including a BAFTA-nominated role alongside Peter O'Toole in Venus (2006).