Eggheads star Dave Rainford has passed away aged 49, the show's host Jeremy Vine has confirmed. He shared the sad news on Twitter at the weekend, writing: "I'm very sad to hear that one of the Eggheads has died. Dave 'Tremendous Knowledge' Rainford, famous for being banned from pub quiz machines in Manchester, was the best company after a recording: always fun and sociable. I never saw him angry or ungenerous, not once. RIP."
Dave passed away aged 49
Fans and colleagues alike took to social media to pay tribute to the quiz master, with The Chase's Anne Hegarty writing: "Very sad to learn that Tremendous Knowledge Dave Rainford of #Eggheads has died. One of the nicest people I ever knew. Never a bad word about anyone." Jenny Ryan added: "Devastated to hear of the death Dave Rainford. You may know him from Eggheads, but I know him from being one of the most genuine, supportive and kind people in the quiz world. Dave always went out of his way to tell me how proud he was of me. Rest in Peace, mate."
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Dave had been struggling with an unconfirmed illness, as he previously tweeted about his absence from the new series of the quiz show, writing: "Brand new Eggheads starting on Monday. I was still recuperating when these programmes were recorded, but I can promise you that there are some great shows coming up with excellent challengers that will keep you on the edge of your seats. Keep watching." His final Facebook post also revealed that he had problems with walking, writing: "What a disgrace that the lift wasn’t working at the Palace Theatre last night. It was impossible for me to get access to my seat. The [expletives] upgraded it to a free box and gave us free drink all night."
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