The popularity of Dad's Army
In the 1970s, Dad's Army regularly attracted more than 18 million viewers, becoming one of the most-watched television programmes of its time.
Royal Mail marked the 50th anniversary of the TV comedy classic Dad's Army with a collection of stamps in 2018, featuring the main characters.
That same year, Lavender cleared up a long-standing mystery from the show during an interview with the Radio Times.
When asking creator David Croft if Uncle Arthur was Pike's father, Lavender said: "He looked at me and said, 'Of course he is!'"
'Deeply saddened'
The news was broke by Dad's Army's official social media account at noon on February 5 as they paid tribute to the last of the sitcom's cast members.
The post read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of the wonderful, Ian Lavender."
Ian Lavender remembered
Lavender was just 22 when cast as Private Pike, a junior bank clerk frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".
He spent 10 years in the role in what became a comedy classic.
In 2001 Lavender joined EastEnders as Derek Harkinson, a gay friend of Pauline Fowler.
