CELEBRITY chef Keith Floyd has died at his partner’s Dorset home following a heart attack.

The 65-year-old, best remembered for fronting TV cooking programmes with a pan in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other, suffered the attack on Monday night (Sept 14) in Bridport.

The iconic star, who had been battling bowel cancer, wrote numerous books and presented a string of television series, many of which are still being shown around the world.

He became a household name in the 1980s, years before today’s celebrity chefs appeared on our screens.

Leading the tributes, Jamie Oliver, said: “Keith was not just one of the best, he was the best television chef.

“An incredible man who lived life to the full and an inspiration to me and so many others.”

Floyd was born in Reading and educated at Wellington School in Somerset.

After a stint as a trainee reporter on the Bristol Evening Post, he embarked on a career in the army – joining the Royal Tank Regiment as an officer after watching the film Zulu.

Following three years service, where he would reportedly pester the mess cook to produce gourmet dinners, he worked as a barman and dishwasher in Bristol.

He would eventually go on to own a number of restaurants in France, Spain, Britain and Thailand.

Floyd, who became a household name in the 1980s, represented a new breed of television chef. But he also led a turbulent personal life, with four marriages and divorces under his belt.

In 1996 he was declared bankrupt and earlier this year he was diagnosed with cancer of the bowel.