Comedian Mel Smith dies suddenly at 60.The death was announced in a statement on behalf of Smith's wife Pam by his agent Michael Foster.

His former colleagues from Not the Nine O'Clock News paid tribute on Saturday to the comedian Mel Smith, who has died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

Griff Rhys Jones, who worked closely with Smith over several years, said last night: "Mel was a force for life. He had a relish for it that seemed utterly inexhaustible. He inspired love and utter loyalty and he gave it in return.

"I will look back on the days working with him as some of the funniest times that I have ever spent. "We loved performing together. He was a gentleman and a scholar, a gambler and a wit. And he was a brilliant actor. But he never took himself or the business too seriously. We are all in a state of shock. We have lost a very, very dear friend."

Rowan Atkinson, who worked with the comic on both Not the Nine O'Clock News and the first Mr Bean film, which Smith directed, said he was "truly sad" to hear about his death.

"Mel Smith - a lovely man of whom I saw too little in his later years," he said. "He had a wonderfully generous and sympathetic presence both on and off screen. He was also an excellent theatre and movie director, doing a wonderful job on the first Mr Bean movie. If you direct a comedy movie that takes $245?million at the box office you've done something pretty special, and I never thought he was given enough credit for this success."

The death was announced in a statement on behalf of Smith's wife Pam by his agent Michael Foster. It said: "Mel Smith, comedian and writer, died on Friday aged 60, from a heart attack at his home in north-west London."

Smith, was born and raised in Chiswick, west London, where his father owned a greengrocer's then a bookmaker's shop. He attended Latymer Upper School before going on to New College, Oxford. He joined the university's dramatic society, which appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The society shared a venue with the Cambridge Footlights, where Smith was spotted by the producer John Lloyd, who went on to cast him in Not The Nine O'Clock News, which began in 1979. Smith initially earned pounds 100 per episode.

Lloyd said last night: "I first saw him at the Cambridge Review and when I came to cast Not The Nine O'Clock News I knew straight away I wanted him in it.

He knew what made something funny. It's a great loss not just as an amazingly talented guy but also as a friend." After the series ended in 1982, he performed with Griff Rhys Jones in Alas Smith and Jones. In 1981, the pair founded Talkback Productions, which has produced several successful comedy shows of the past two decades, including Da Ali G Show and I'm Alan Partridge.

In 2000, the company was sold to Pearson for pounds 62?million. In 1987, he recorded a cover of the Christmas song Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree with Kim Wilde for Comic Relief which reached number three in the charts.

Smith also starred in the comedy film Morons From Outer Space and directed Emma Thompson in The Tall Guy. He also played serious roles. He appeared at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe festival in Allegiance, a play by the Irish journalist and author Mary Kenny about Churchill's meeting with the Irish nationalist leader Michael Collins in 1921.

The following year Smith directed the West End revival of Charley's Aunt. Smith had suffered from poor health in recent years, but said he was unable to stop working.

In December 2008 he appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, despite suffering from severe pharyngitis, an inflammation of the throat. For several years Smith had been addicted to painkillers after using them to deal with gout.

Tributes have been paid to the performer from some of the leading figures in television. Peter Fincham, the ITV director who was the business partner of Smith and Jones at Talkback, as well as their agent, said: "He had extraordinary natural talent with the rare gift of wearing it lightly.

"Mel and Griff were one of the great comedy acts and it's hard to imagine that one of them is no longer with us." Tony Hall, the BBC's director general, said: "Mel Smith's contribution to British comedy cannot be overstated. On screen he helped to define a new style of comedy from the late 1970s that continues to influence people to this day."