“I can confirm we issued a death certificate on June 8. Mr Christopher Lee died on June 7th,” said a spokeswoman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London.
According to the UK’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper, Lee died in hospital, where he had been treated for respiratory problems and heart failure over the preceding three weeks.
“The family wishes to make no comment,” his agent said.
Tall, pale and with a deep, resonating voice, Lee will forever be remembered for his spine-chilling performance as Dracula in the cult Hammer Horror movies.
The star, who appeared in a string of horror films and played a Bond villain in The Man With The Golden Gun, enjoyed a career renaissance playing Saruman in the Lord Of The Rings films.
Although he expressed frustration at being typecast as the villain, he admitted he enjoyed the roles.
“They’re more interesting, because there’s a greater variety you can apply: you can be very cruel or charming, amusing or dangerous,” Lee said.
However, he criticised the gratuitous violence of many modern films, arguing the power of suggestion was more terrifying - something he mastered early on, scaring the wits out of viewers with his piercing gaze.
He never stopped working and only last year marked his 92nd birthday by releasing a heavy metal version of the Frank Sinatra classic My Way.
It was one of seven tracks on an album called Metal Knight he recorded with an Italian band called Rhapsody Of Fire.
Two years ago he was honoured with a fellowship from the British Film Institute presented by his friend Johnny Depp.
Depp, who has worked with Sir Christopher on several Tim Burton projects including Sleepy Hollow, sneaked into the awards ceremony to surprise his friend.
Sir Christopher has amassed more than 250 screen credits, including his vampire appearances, his role as sinister Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man and his collaborations with Burton.
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