Stand up comedian Sean Hughes has sadly passed away today, aged 51.

His management confirmed the news of his death, and it's believe Hughes was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. He was taken into north London's Whittington Hospital at the start of October, with his last tweet simply reading:

The Never Mind the Buzzcocks star was born in London but was raised in Firhouse in Dublin. His career began back in 1987 when he appeared in the Comedy Store and was the youngest ever to win the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award for his show A One Night Stand With Sean Hughes.

Hughes was also awarded a Fringe First from the Scotsman in 1991 and had a popular comedy in the 90s on Channel 4 called Sean's Show. He also had a role in Coronation Street in 2007 as well as a minor part in The Commitments and in ITV's The Last Detective.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.