Mickey Pearce Actor Patrick Murray Dies at 68 After Cancer Battle

LONDON, England — Patrick Murray, the British actor famous for his role as Mickey Pearce in the beloved BBC sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses,’ died on September 29, 2023, after a long battle with cancer. He was 68 years old.

Murray first disclosed his cancer diagnosis in 2021 when he had a tumor removed from his lung. In 2022, he received encouraging news that his lung cancer was ‘cured’ and that a tumor in his liver was ‘shrinking.’ But in 2023, he faced a setback when he announced that his cancer had returned.

‘I kept this under my hat that they’d discovered another primary cancer last year,’ Murray revealed at the time. He explained that he underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), a procedure aimed at cutting off the blood supply to tumors, and he also had half of his liver removed with the tumor.

Murray described what led him to seek medical attention: ‘I thought I had a painful groin strain a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the cancer getting into my pelvis and leg bones. It has also entered my lymphatic system.’

Survived by his second wife, Anong Murray, and four children, he had three children from his first marriage to Shelley Wilkinson, which lasted from 1981 to 1996.

A BBC spokesperson expressed condolences, stating, ‘We are very sad to hear of the passing of Patrick Murray, much loved for his role as Mickey in Only Fools and Horses. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.’

Tributes have poured in from fans and colleagues. Sue Holderness, who starred alongside him on ‘Only Fools and Horses,’ shared her sorrow on X, writing, ‘RIP darling Patrick. Much love. You will be greatly missed.’

Before achieving fame on ‘Only Fools and Horses,’ Murray appeared in films like ‘Quadrophenia‘ and ‘Curse of the Pink Panther,’ as well as TV shows such as ‘The Upper Hand‘ and ‘The Bill.’

Murray’s co-star John Challis also succumbed to cancer in September 2021 at the age of 79.