‘Only Fools and Horses’ legend Patrick Murray dead at 68
Patrick Murray, best known for his role on the beloved British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, has died aged 68.
His death was confirmed by The Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society, who shared the sad news on social media with fans of the show.
The statement reads, “It is with heartfelt sadness that we report the death of our friend Patrick Murray – Mickey Pearce to so many.”
It continues, “He was a regular attendee of our conventions and we will miss his humour and the joy he bought to many.”
The actor, who portrayed Mickey Pearce across 20 episodes of the legendary series, had struggled with his health in recent years. He had part of his liver removed in 2022, and another tumour was later disovered by medics that same year.
While Murray will always be the role of Pearce, and his connection to the Only Fools and Horses world, he also appeared in plentiful more pivotal pieces of British film and television. The London native’s first notable acting credit came alongside Ray Winstone in Scum, which was first a television play before being turned into a movie two years later in 1979.
Murray also played a part in Quadrophenia, which remains a cult classic to this day, as well as opposite Gary Oldman in The Firm.
Although his final appearance in Only Fools and Horses was in 2003, Murray had largely left the acting world behind by the mid-1990s.
In 2022, during an interview with The Sun, Murray expressed his desire to return to Only Fools and Horses for a reboot. However, he wasn’t optimistic that it would be the same in the modern political climate, claiming, “I don’t think the BBC even like to show the Del Boy falling through the bar scene now, despite it being voted the best sitcom moment ever, as it depicts two men on the pull.”
He added, “If ‘Fools and Horses is out of order, we’re in trouble. But I would definitely be up for it if everyone else was on board and we are allowed to be funny. As long as they paid me upfront!”
Murray’s final television credit appearance came in the ITV drama Endeavour in 2015. He later became a chauffeur in order to help his wife, Anong, secure a visa from the Home Office to move to the UK from Thailand with their daughter, Josie.
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