The great-grandson of Victorian Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson has been found stabbed to death in his bed, it emerged today.
Police confirmed that a man in his 80s had been discovered dead at his home in Crouch End, north London, suffering from injuries.
It has been reported that 85-year-old Hallam Tennyson, who was gay, led a colourful life, inviting men back to his home up to three times a week.
It is understood the retired BBC executive was found by a partner with whom he had an open relationship.
He was married for 20 years to Margo and has two children, Rosalind and Jonathan, who were said to be devastated by the news.
Mr Tennyson wrote a biography in 1984, A Haunted Mind, in which he listed a string of homosexual liaisons.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Police were called at 23.20 on 21 December to reports of a body found at an address at Shepherd's Hill, Crouch End."
She said an incident room had been set up but police were keeping an open mind regarding a motive. She was unable to confirm further details until formal identification had been made.
PA