Ronnie Corbett last night led the tributes to his comedy partner and friend Ronnie Barker, who has died after a long illness. He was 76.

Fans and celebrities were united in their praise for one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Barker, who brought pleasure to millions as one half of The Two Ronnies, and with the classic sitcoms Porridge and Open All Hours, died yesterday after a long period of heart trouble.

Corbett, 74, Barker's comedy partner for four decades, was joined in paying tribute by stars including Sir David Jason, Michael Palin and Peter Kay.

Corbett said of his long-time friend and colleague: "Ronnie was pure gold in triplicate: as a performer, a writer and a friend. We worked together since 1965 and we never had a cross word."

Barker once said: "Ronnie and I - well, it's a marriage. Actually it's even more amicable than a marriage - wedlock without the bad patches."

David Jason, Barker's co-star, Granville, in Open All Hours, said yesterday: "Working with Ronnie was always a joy and were without doubt some of the best years of my career. The world of entertainment has lost a huge talent."

Former Monty Python star Michael Palin said: "Ronnie was a straightforward, down- to-earth man who had this extraordinary ability to make the nation laugh."

Peter Kay said: "I'm just so lucky to have been able to get to know my hero and the person that I aspire to be."

Barker got his TV break when he was chosen for the supporting cast of The Frost Report with John Cleese in 1966. It was there that he first met Corbett.

Their show, The Two Ronnies, ran for 98 episodes over 12 series between 1971 and 1987. In its heyday, it attracted up to 18 million viewers and the pair remain an inspiration for many of today's comedians.

The show was always rounded off with Corbett saying: "It's goodnight from me" and Barker adding: "And it's goodnight from him."

His role as London lag Fletcher in the Seventies sitcom Porridge, with the late actor Richard Beckinsale as his cellmate, was his most popular role. But for Barker, his favourite character was said to be the shopkeeper Arkwright in Open All Hours.

His long-lasting appeal came despite retiring from the small screen in 1987, at the height of his success.

Barker, who was born in Bedford on September 25, 1929, moved away from his television career to set up an antiques business with a shop in the Oxfordshire village of Chipping Norton.

He and his wife had three children, actors Charlotte and Adam and Larry Barker.

Barker was only lured back to the small screen a few times, including a tribute to The Two Ronnies in 1999, and in the BBC drama The Gathering Storm in 2002, in which he played Churchill's butler.

He was honoured with a Bafta tribute last year, and this year, he and Corbett teamed up for The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, in which they looked back at some of their best material.

He will be remembered as a great comedy writer as well as a performer. The Two Ronnies was written by a vast pool of writers and it transpired that one of the most prolific - Gerald Wiley - was Barker himself.

Looking back on his career, he once said: "I would like to be remembered as one of the funniest men people have seen on TV."