Popular British comedian and actor Sean Lock passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 58. The news was confirmed by Lock's agency to The Guardian, with his agent stating that he died surrounded by his family members. In a statement to PEOPLE, his agent said, "Sean was one of Britain's finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy."

Sean Lock began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1990s, while also making appearances on television after his debut in the 1993 series Newman and Baddiel in Pieces. He had his own program on BBC 4 Radio, 15 Minutes of Misery, which also went on to be made into a TV series, 15 Storeys High. Lock also won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Comic in 2000, including earning a nomination for a Perrier Comedy Award. He also served as a team captain on Jimmy Carr's Channel 4 comedy panel program 8 Out of 10 Cats, including its spinoff show, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, from 2012 to 2021.

The news of Sean Lock's demise has come as a massive shock to many leading celebrities and fans, who have been expressing their condolences on social media. Comedian Jimmy Carr, who worked with Lock earlier, tweeted, "Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him. I'm watching clips of him right now - laughing & crying. I'll miss him so much." Bill Bailey paid his tribute and wrote, "It’s heartbreaking to lose my dearest friend Sean Lock , he was a true original, a wonderful comic. All my thoughts are with his family." Ricky Gervais said, "Such sad news. RIP the great Sean Lock. One of the funniest, most influential comedians of a generation. A lovely man."