Bill Bailey pays tribute to Sean Lock two years after his death: 'It’s hard to believe sometimes'

Bill Bailey has paid tribute to Sean Lock two years after his death from advanced lung cancer.

The comedian marked the passing of his good friend on social media by sharing a photo of the two of them with fans, adding that he continued to miss Lock to this day.

Read more: Sean Lock fans in tears over emotional ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’ tribute episode

In his post shared on X – formerly known as Twitter – the Strictly Come Dancing champion wrote: "Today it’s two years since we lost Sean.

"It’s hard to believe sometimes that he’s not here. Miss you old friend."

Bailey and Lock were friends for 30 years and would even go on family holidays together. Bailey has often taken the time to pay tribute to Lock on social media, sharing pictures and urging his fans to donate to Macmillan Cancer Trust in his honour.

The comedian took part in a charity walk in Lock's honour, and he raised more than £120,000 for Macmillan on his JustGiving page about the 100-mile walk along the South West Coast Path.

Lock first found out he had advanced lung cancer a few years before his death on 16 August, 2021 at the age of 58, but he chose to keep the news private as he battled the illness.

Read more: Sean Lock’s towering genius: 15 Storeys High, the sitcom gem ‘tossed away by the BBC’ (The Telegraph, 11-min read)

The comedian had previously been diagnosed and cleared of skin cancer in 1990.

While he went through his secret battle with lung cancer Lock continued to work regularly, and made frequent appearances on Channel 4's 8 out of 10 Cats and the show's spin-off 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

During a past appearance on This Morning, Bailey praised Lock's abilities as a comedian by saying: "He was one of those comics that all the other comics turned out to see, he had a totally original and unique style.

Read more: The celebrities we lost in 2021

"And he was funny offstage as well as on, he was just very genuine and a loyal friend and a great sort of confidante, as well as being a great friend."

At the time of his death, fellow colleagues and comedians such as Jimmy Carr, Jon Richardson and Rachel Riley all paid tribute to him.

Watch: Bill Bailey says Sean Lock was 'still having a laugh' in his final days.