"He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come," the family statement said.

The news that the actor, fashion icon and great survivor of the Swinging Sixties Terence Stamp has died at the age of 87 is somehow impossible to believe.

Stamp first came to prominence when he took on the titular role in the 1962 film “Billy Budd.”