The death of popular funnyman Sir Norman Wisdom has devastated a devoted south Wimbledon pensioner who claims to be his biggest fan.

Hassan Merci, who lives in Pincott Road, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” when he heard the news on Tuesday morning the slapstick entertainer had died on Monday night, aged 95.

As soon as he heard the news, Mr Merci contacted the Wimbledon Guardian to pass on his grief at the death of his hero, whom he described as “Benny Hill with a touch of class”.

The 69-year-old said: “I’m really going to miss him. He came to Wimbledon 10 years ago and I was lucky enough to have my picture taken with him.

“I have been a fan all my life because he’s such a lovely guy. I’ve got every single one of his movies.”

Mr Merci said it was one of his “proudest moments” to get an autograph from Sir Norman in 2000, when he performed at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

He said: “I had a copy of his book and he was kind enough to sign it for me. He was a true gentleman and I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

Mr Merci said his favourite Norman Wisdom movie was the 1965 screwball comedy The Early Bird, in which he portrayed a milkman who takes on a major dairy.

Sir Norman ranked second only to Charlie Chaplin as the 20th century’s most consistently successful British screen comic and was described by Chaplin himself as his natural heir.

He went on to receive a knighthood in 2000 and was even declared a national hero in Balkan ex-dictatorship Albania, where his films were among a very select few allowed through by censors.

Helen Crane, a former reporter on our sister paper, the Epsom Guardian, said she interviewed Sir Norman when he lived in Epsom and had just received his knighthood.

Mrs Crane said: “On one occasion, he was taken ill to Epsom General Hospital and was being treated in a normal ward.

“Hospital staff then decided to move him into a private room so he could get some rest from his non-stop joke telling to keep his fellow patients and the staff amused.”

A staff member at Wimbledon Theatre said Sir Norman had appeared there several times over the past 40 years, having first appeared in 1969 and most recently in July 2004 for a charity performance of A Night of a Thousand Stars.

She said: “He received a standing ovation, did a few falls – despite being almost 90 years old at the time – and sang Don’t Laugh At Me.

This was just three months before he officially retired from the stage.”