Actor Tony Way has recalled the time he met Paul McCartney thanks to Sean Lock, whose death was confirmed today (August 18).

Lock, best known for appearing on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, died from cancer at the age of 58. Shortly after the news broke, tributes to the late comedian were posted online by Jimmy Carr, Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais and many more.

Writing on Twitter this afternoon, actor and writer Way – who portrays Lenny in Gervais’ Netflix show After Life – looked back on the first time he met Lock, which led to a run-in with former Beatle McCartney.

“I met Paul McCartney because of Sean Locke [sic], just after meeting Sean himself,” the post began. “He shouted ‘Oi Paul!’ Across Soho Sq, Paul waved back, came over and chatted for half an hour.

“When he left I said ‘How do you know him?’ Sean said ‘I don’t, but he knows he’s Paul McCartney doesn’t he’.”

You can see the tweet below.

Of course I’ve autocorrected/typed his surname wrong FFS

— Tony Way – Bloke Off The Telly (+ films) (@tonypaulway) August 18, 2021

Way’s After Life co-star Diane Morgan – who had earlier hailed Lock as an “absolute genius” – responded: “That’s such a great story”, while other fans praised the tale in the replies and retweets.

Author Jane Fallon – the long term partner of Ricky Gervais – wrote: “I love this.”

Sean Lock’s death was confirmed by his agent Off The Kerb Productions, who said in a statement that the comedian “died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family”.

“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,” the statement continued.

“Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children. Sean will be sorely missed by all that knew him. We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children is respected at this difficult time.”

8 Out Of 10 Cats host Jimmy Carr was among those to pay tribute, writing: “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.”