Actor and comedian Gene Wilder has died aged 83.

He was well-known for his lead roles in ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’, ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘The Producers’.

His nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, said he died of complications that resulted from Alzheimer’s.

"It is almost unbearable for us to contemplate our life without him," he said.

Mr Wilder, who passed away in Stamford, Connecticut, started his career on Broadway before moving to the film industry.

He starred as a kidnapped undertaker in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ 1967, and was later cast by Mel Brooks, as an anxious accountant in the 1968 comedy, ‘The Producers’.

His peers in the comedy world paid tribute to the actor as the news emerged last night.

Stephen Fry said in a tweet: “Farewell #GeneWilder, comic genius. Thank you for all those happy hours.”

Mel Broooks paid tribute to his friend, he said: “Gene Wilder one of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film he did with his magic and he blessed me with his friendship.”

Actor and comedian Jim Carrey said: “Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there’s a heaven he has a Golden Ticket.”