Bob Hope dies aged 100

Bob Hope, an entertainment legend for nearly 80 years, died early this morning at his home in California, less than two months after celebrating his 100th birthday.

His wife Dolores and other family members were at his bedside for his last moments. In a statement, his long-time publicist Ward Grant said the London-born entertainer had died peacefully from pneumonia. Granddaughter Miranda Hope paid tribute, saying: "Making people laugh, making people happy, bringing joy every time he walked into a room, that was his goal in life."

Hope had been in failing health for several years but when he passed 100 he joked: "I'm so old they've cancelled my blood type."

Hope, born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham on 29 May 1903, emigrated with his family to the US in 1907. He made his stage debut in vaudeville in the Twenties, after a string of dead-end jobs from pool hall hustler to shoe salesman.

In the Thirties he moved to Hollywood, simultaneously launching a film and radio career. He is best remembered for the seven "road" films with crooner Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Although he failed to win an Oscar, he was given two honorary Academy Awards. He received an honorary knighthood in 1998.

His lengthy career earned him a fortune, said to be in the hundreds of millions. He also won a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most honoured entertainer in history, with more than 2,000 awards and citations.

Today President George Bush said America had lost a "great citizen", adding: "Bob Hope made us laugh and he lifted our spirits. May God bless his soul."

More than 89,000 pages of his jokes are preserved in the new Bob Hope Gallery at the US Library of Congress. Here's one ... [on being awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 1963] "I feel very humble. But I think I have the strength of character to fight it."