Colin Dexter dead aged 86 – British crime writer who created Inspector Morse dies peacefully at Oxford home
The author said he created the much-loved character during a rainy family holiday in North Wales
Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter has died peacefully at his home in Oxford, aged 86.
The crime writer was best known for publishing a series of novels about the detective which were adapted into the long-running TV series starring John Thaw.
The stories have since sparked a sequel series, Lewis, and a prequel Endeavour, which follows the young Morse after he joins the police in Oxford.
Dexter's publishers MacMillan announced the news today in a statement which said: "With immense sadness, MacMillan announces the death of Colin Dexter who died peacefully at home in Oxford this morning."
The crime writer started his career as a teacher, before hearing problems forced him to quit.
In an interview in 2012 he told the it was during a rainy family holiday in North Wales that he started writing detective stories.
With no typewriter, Dexter said wrote out the first passages of his debut novel Last Bus To Woodstock in longhand on sheets of writing paper.
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He said: "The children were moaning. I was sitting at the kitchen table with nothing else to do, and I wrote the first few paragraphs of a potential detective novel."
The hard-drinking and unlucky-in-love detective went on to become one of the greatest British TV characters of all time.
He was portrayed by John Thaw in the highly-acclaimed ITV series, which ran for 13 years.
Kevin Lygo, director of television at ITV, said: "We're very sad to hear this news and our deepest sympathies go to Colin Dexter's family.
"Colin was closely involved in the production of Inspector Morse, advising on scripts and making keenly anticipated cameo appearances in many of the films.
"ITV is very grateful to Colin for bringing so much joy to the audience over the years and the world of Inspector E Morse will live forever."
Morse was more recently brought back to life by Shaun Evans for the ITV reboot Endeavour - Morse's first name - which follows the young detective as he finds his feet in 1960s Oxford.
Lygo said Dexter was one of the "key creative forces" behind the prequel show, and even appeared in cheeky cameo roles on screen.
Dexter was born in Stamford, Lincs. in 1930, where his dad ran a small garage and taxi company.
He attended Stamford School, a boys' public school, where he played cricket, tennis, hockey and rugby.
He went on to read Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1953, before working as a teacher at schools in Leicester, Loughborough and Corby and marrying wife Dorothy, with whom he had one son and one daughter.
In 1966, he quit teacher and became an exams secretary at the University of Oxford, a job he held until his retirement in 1988.
Dexter was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 2000.
At the time, he said he would have liked to think his fictional detective would have bought him a celebratory whisky.
Dexter said: "He might say 'I wish you'd made me a slightly less miserable blighter and slightly more generous, and you could have painted me in a little bit of a better light'.
"If he had bought me a drink, a large Glenfiddich or something, that would have been very nice, but knowing him I doubt he would have done - Lewis always bought all the drinks."
Maria Rejt, Dexter's most recent editor at Macmillan, said: "Colin was an author who inspired all those who worked with him.
"His loyalty, modesty and self-deprecating humour gave joy to many.
"His was the sharpest mind and the biggest heart, and his wonderful novels and stories will remain a testament to both."
Jeremy Trevathan, also from Macmillan, said: "With Colin's death there has been a tectonic shift in the international crime writing scene.
"He was one of those television characters who the nation took to their hearts. This is a very sad day for us all."
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