William Dufris, actor behind 'Bob The Builder' voice, dies

William Dufris who voiced Bob The Builder has died after a battle with cancer. He was 62.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday: "We are heartbroken to announce that the co-founder of @pocketplot and the director of EC Comics Presents... The Vault of Horror, William Dufris, has died from cancer.

"There is a hole in a lot of people’s hearts right now. We will have more to say later. Bless you, Bill."

He voiced the character of Bob in the US and Canadian versions of the show for the first nine series before stepping down from his role in 2006.

In the UK, Bob The Builder was voiced by Neil Morrissey who was later replaced by Lee Ingleby in 2015.