Best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett dies aged 66

Sir Terry Pratchett fought Alzheimer's Disease with "enormous humour", the chair of chair of Alzheimer's Research UK said.

Hilary Evans called him an "incredible character" who battled the illness with "dignity right to the end".

ITV News Correspondent Richard Pallot reports:

Sir Terry Pratchett's daughter Rhianna has thanked people for their "kind words" about her father.

She tweeted her last few posts had been with "shaking hands and tear-filled eyes".

Sir Tony Robinson has spoke of the "great loss" of his friend Sir Terry Pratchett.

The actor, comedian and TV presenter told ITV News: "Ironically one of Terry's best and funniest characters was the character Death.

"And I love the idea of Terry in his last few hours actually meeting his own creation."

Sir Terry Pratchett once said he "never set out to write literature - but I've had a lot of fun in the past 25 years".

The best-selling author, famous for his Discworld series, was knighted for his services to literature in 2009, two years after being told he had early onset Alzheimer's Disease.

ITV News Correspondent Richard Pallot reports:

Right-to-die campaigner Sir Terry Pratchett said he would be "surprised" if assisted dying happened in his lifetime.

But the best-selling author, who died aged 66 after a long battle with Alzheimer's, said he hoped it would happen "not too far" afterwards.

Sir Terry Pratchett "changed the way dementia is seen and understood", the chief executive of the Alzheimer's society said.

Jeremy Hughes said: "Shouting from the rooftops about the absurdity of how little funding dementia research receives, and fighting for good quality dementia care, he was and will remain the truest of champions for people with the condition.

"During the many times Terry supported Alzheimer's Society, publicly and privately, I was struck by his passion, resilience and courage to fight and kill the demon of dementia.

"When thanked for his work, he'd simply smile and shake his head modestly, insisting it was nothing.

"Never dwelling on his own dementia, he used his voice to shout out for others when they could not."

Ricky Gervais has given his personal appreciation on best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett, who has died.

The TV celebrity quoted Sir Terry on his Twitter feed: "It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it."

Leading authors have paid tribute to the Sir Terry Pratchett, who has died at the age of 66.

Among those to have heaped praise on the man are Margaret Atwood and Caitlin Moran.

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted he was "sad" to hear of Sir Terry Pratchett's death.

He added: "His books fired the imagination of millions and he fearlessly campaigned for dementia awareness."