Jack Whitehall has praised his late friend Archie Lyndhurst for looking after his parents during lockdown in a heartbreaking tribute.
The 19-year-old actor was found dead at his family home in west London last week, following a short illness.
Jack and Archie had worked together in the past, and the late star had played a young version of Jack in his 2011 series Little Crackers.
Reacting to Archie’s death on Instagram, Jack wrote: “I write this with an extremely heavy heart. Archie Lyndhurst came In to my life nearly ten years ago, playing the young me in a short film I’d written.”
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“He was brilliant, so talented and funny. An utter joy to work with. So much so that it proved to be the start of a wonderful partnership, we did a skit at the London Palladium, he played me again in a sketch for my arena tour and special, and when we needed to find an actor to play the young Alfie Wickers in Bad Education it was the easiest piece of casting we ever had to do,” he continued.
“Every time I worked with Archie he was the same – passionate, generous and pitch perfect, he was loved by everyone on set. I have no doubt he would have had a long and illustrious career and would have continued lighting up the lives of all those who encountered him.”
“The enthusiastic and talented boy I met all those years ago had grown into an equally charming young man, during lockdown he would take shopping and groceries to my parents house for them when they couldn’t leave the house, it’s testament to what a wonderful and kind person he was.”
“The world has been robbed of a truly special soul. He will never be forgotten, i feel utterly devastated that he is gone but i also feel so blessed to have met him. Goodbye Archie,” he added.
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The news comes after Archie’s father, Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst, said he was “utterly grief-stricken” over his son’s death.
In a statement, he said: “Lucy and I are utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy.”
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