Sir Roger Moore has died at the age of 89

A letter was tweeted from the account on behalf of his three adult children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian - his offspring with third wife Luisa Mattioli - along with the message "with the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated".

The accompanying letter read: "Sir Roger Moore KBE, Actor - Unicef Ambassador - Author.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moor, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer. the love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone.

"We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for UNICEF which he considered to be his greatest achievement.

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall. The capacity crowd cheered him on and off stage, shaking the very foundations of the building just a short distance from where he was born.

"Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people.

"Our thoughts must now turn to supporting Kristina at this difficult time, and in accordance with our father's wishes there will be a funeral in Monaco. Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian."

As well as his three children, Moore is also survived by his fourth wife Kristina 'Kiki' Tholstrup - with whom he raised her daughter Christina Knudsen, who died in July 2016 at the age of 47.

Moore enjoyed a stellar TV career with lead roles in 'The Saint' in the 1960s and 'The Persuaders!' in the early 1970s before he landed the coveted part as Bond in 1973

He is currently is the longest serving 007 spending 12 years in the role and starring in seven films, including 'Live and Let Die', 'The Man with the Golden Gun' and 'A View To A Kill'.