Tony Dyson, one of the creators of Star Wars' robot R2-D2, has been found in Gozo.

The body of the 68-year-old Briton was discovered at his home in Munxar, after the police were alerted by friends about his absence.

Mr Dyson had recently taken part in the Malta Comic Convention.

An inquiry is underway.

R2-D2 became one of the world's favourite robot, forming part of the Star Wars franchise which has grown from strength to strength since the first film in 1977.

Mr Dyson, the versatile Emmy-nominated film SFX supervisor was the creative genius at the helm of many of big sci-fi films, including Superman 2 and Moonraker.

He also designed and built robots for some of the largest electronic companies in the world, including Sony, Philips and Toshiba.