Dunn passed away in Portugal at the age of 92 after suffering complications following an operation earlier this week, and Lavender has only fond memories of his pal, who he starred alongside in the classic BBC sitcom.
He tells ITV News, "Obviously, (I feel) great sadness, but you can't be too sad at 92, it's a good age 92. But I don't want any friend to go. You start thinking abut what fun we had, and just what a lovely guy he was. When we started out I was 21, just about 22, and he was 47 and because he was so close to me in age compared to everybody else I tried to make him my playmate!
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Left to right Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey), Clive Dunn (Corporal Jones), Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring), Ian Lavender (Private Pike), John Laurie (Private Frazer) and John Le Mesurier (Sergeant Wilson) during an episode of 'Dad's Army'
"He looked after me quite a lot as a youngster and would get me to do things that I don't think anybody else might get me to do. He suggested it would be a good idea for me to join him doing cabaret in a working men's club... and it seemed a perfectly good idea, and so I did, and we had great fun.
"One thing always stands out... Clive would always make you smile, no matter how you were feeling... a hug, and a little look and a quip about something."
Singer/actor Martin Kemp has also added his tribute on Twitter.com, writing, "RIP clive Dunn....Thank you for so many laughs when I was a kid!", while actor Tom Ellis adds, "RIP Clive Dunn...a huge part of my tv watching as a kid...incredibly funny actor."
Clive Dunn
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British Actor Clive Dunn On the set of the classic BBC TV comedy show 'Dad's Army', 20.08.1970. (Photo by Photoshot/Getty Images)
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Dad's Army appearing on the Royal Variety Show circa 1976, London, Clive Dunn;Ian Lavender. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
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Clive Dunn as Grandad on Top of the Pops (Photo by Ron Howard/Redferns)
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To mark the 30th anniversary of the first broadcast of the vintage comedy show Dad's Army, star of the show Clive Dunn joined a cast reunion at the Imperial War Museum to coincide with the new audio tapes, and BBC 2's first series repeat. PA
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To mark the 30th anniversary of the first broadcast of the vintage comedy show Dad's Army, star of the show Clive Dunn joined a cast reunion at the Imperial War Museum to coincide with the new audio tapes, and BBC 2's first series repeat. PA
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The cast from the BBC's hit comedy, "Dad's Army", in a scene from one of the famous episodes of the show. The cast are Arthur Lowe (foreground) and (background L-R) John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, James Beck, John Laurie, Ian Lavender and Arnold Ridley.Picture date: 2/10/01: Actor Ian Lavender is to star in the BBC soap EastEnders it was confirmed. He will be seen on screen from November in Albert Square as a newcomer with whom Pauline Fowler, played by actress Wendy Richard, becomes fixated. Lavender, 55, found fame in 1968 as Private Pike, the timid youngest recruit in the Walmington-On-Sea branch of the Home Guard in the TV comedy Dad's Army SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE CAST WILL BE GATHERING AT LONDON'S IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM ON JULY 31, 1998, TO MARK THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST EPISODE.
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Dad's Army. (from r-l) Clive Dunn, James Beck, John Le Mesurier, Arthur Lowe, John Laurie, Ian Lavender and Arnold Ridley. PA
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Members of the cast of Dad's Army, at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church after a memorial service for the actor Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring in the programme) who died recently. (l-r) Clive Dunn (Private Jones), Bill Pertwee (ARP Warden), Jimmy Perry (author), Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey), Frank Williams (The Reverend Timothy Farthing), Ian Lavender (Corporal Pike) and John Le Mesurier (Sgt Wilson).Archive-PA201425-2
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To mark the 30th anniversary of the first broadcast of the vintage comedy show Dad's Army actors Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn and Bill Pertwee join the reunion at the Imperial War Museum to coincide with the new audio tapes, and BBC 2's first series repeat today (Friday). Photo by Matthew Fearn/PA.
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Comedy actor Clive Dunn, in character as Henry Beerbohm 'Old' Johnson in the television series Bootsie and Snudge. PA