Freddie Starr’s tragic last hours spent struggling to breathe and cuddling cat

He was once the toast of the British entertainment industry.

But in his final hours, Freddie Starr was completely alone in his Costa Del Sol townhouse, save for a three-week old tabby cat he'd named Little Freddie.

Struggling for breath thanks to a 60-a-day habit, the 76 year old needed oxygen apparatus and had been rushed to hospital by ambulance twice in the last two years.

And his friend and carer Nelly Georgieva – who found his body on the floor of his home on Thursday after she returned from shopping – said he spent his final hours cuddling his beloved cat.

"He spent all day giving Little Freddie kisses and cuddles – he has the same eyes as Freddie and his face is cheeky like his," she told The Sun .

Authorities have since confirmed Freddie died of a heart attack, but despite his ill health, Nelly said she had no idea her friend was so unwell.

"He had heart problems. He was in a coma after an operation. When I met him he was ill. He had asthma and problems with lungs. He had many problems but I never knew he was bad," she said.

Saddled with debt and reportedly 'broken' over sex abuse claims, Freddie is said to have lived as a virtual recluse, spending most of his time holed up at his two-bed £170,000 townhouse in the hills above the town of Mijas.

However, pal Jim Davidson revealed he was still a regular on the Spanish karaoke scene.

Two years ago he was filmed impersonating Elvis Presley in a local bar, and Jim described it as a "sad way to end a career for someone who I thought was Britain's greatest entertainer."

Freddie was arrested four times between 2012 and 2014 as part of the Operation Yewtree probe into historic sex crimes by celebrities such as Jimmy Savile.

However, he was released without charge and tried to sue alleged victim Karin Ward for claiming he groped her in Savile's dressing room when she was 15.

The High Court ruled in her favour, leaving Freddie with £1million in court costs.

He sold his £700,000 UK home in 2015 and moved to Spain, and lawyers acting for Ms Ward were in the process of having his Costa home forcibly sold at auction to recoup some of the £500,000 still owed.

A well-placed source said: “Starr was definitely at risk of losing his Spanish home and being turfed out on the streets.

“No date had been set for an auction but the ball was definitely rolling.

“The sale of the house would not have settled the entire debt Starr owed Ms Ward but it would have eaten into a chunk of it.

“It’s pretty shocking to think a man who was such a household name in his early career could have ended up on the streets.”

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