It's goodbye-ee to Dagenham Dud

A.� Sadly, yes. Dudley Moore, the comic actor whose double-act with Peter Cook heralded the 1960s satire boom, has died after a three-year battle against a rare brain disorder. He was 66. The illness destroyed one of the finest brains in British comedy.

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The diminutive star, who always ended the Not Only ... But Also shows with the Goodby-ee duet with Cook, was a talented jazz pianist who enjoyed Hollywood stardom with the films 10 and Arthur.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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He had progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease comparable to Parkinson's. It had been diagnosed three years ago and Moore died of pneumonia, a complication of the disease, at his New Jersey home.

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Q.� How did Dud become famous

A.� Pure talent. Born in Dagenham, east London, in 1935, he suffered from a club foot which required much hospital treatment, and made him the butt of jokes. He soon found refuge in music, taking up piano and violin. By the age of 14 he was playing the organ at church weddings. He also used humour to rebuff the cruel jokes about his height - a mere 5ft 2in. He won a music scholarship to study the organ at Magdalen College, Oxford, but by the time he left in 1958 he was an accomplished jazz pianist, performing with Johnny Dankworth.

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Q.� Where does Peter Cook come in

A.� After touring America with Vic Lewis, he met Peter Cook and was asked to join Beyond The Fringe, a comedy revue at the Edinburgh Festival that also featured Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. This led to the Pete 'n' Dud double act on the brilliant BBC TV show Not Only ... But Also, which regularly featured Moore's piano as well as the brilliant dialogues.

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Q.� And films

A.� In 1967 came Bedazzled, written by Cook. Cook played the Devil and Moore played Stanley Moon, a chef who is in love and sells his soul to try to lure the lovely Margaret into his clutches. Moore's real break came in 1978 when director Blake Edwards cast him in the lead role of 10.

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Q.� A romantic lead

A.� Amazingly, yes. The boy mocked for having one leg longer than another had become a sex symbol - and a very effective one. He played a composer obsessed with finding the perfect woman - and the film rocketed both Moore and co-star Bo Derek to Hollywood stardom. His beigest hit, though, was Arthur (1981), in which he teamed up with Liza Minnelli and John Gielgud to play a wealthy, drunken playboy. Moore's last public appearance was at Liza Minnelli's wedding earlier this month.

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Q.� Was he married

A.� Oh yes. Four wives Wife: Suzy Kendall, actress and model; Tuesday Weld, actress; Brogan Moore; and Nicole Rothschild. All divorced.

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Q.� His health

A.� Moore was shaken by the death of Peter Cook and then suffered a series of minor heart attacks 1997, when it was found he had a hole in his heart. At first, unkind critics blamed the high life and suggested that drink was taking its toll. Two years later, progressive supranuclear palsy was diagnosed. His neurological surgeon gave him no chance of recovery.

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In November, 2001, he was made a CBE by the Queen. He sat virtually immobile in his wheelchair as Prince Charles presented him with the insignia. Moore arrived at Buckingham Palace in a 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, identical to the one he used in the film Arthur.

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In his last television interview, for BBC's Omnibus programme two years ago, Moore said his illness: 'It's totally mysterious the way this illness attacks, and eats you up, and then spits you out. I did get angry. But there's not much point feeling angry. There's always this feeling of 'Why did it hit me ' and I cannot make peace with it because I know I am going to die from it.'

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Steve Cunningham