Police believe his caretaker did not realise Allen was behind the car when she began to back it up, police spokeswoman Judy Altieri said. Detectives were attempting to determine whether Allen had fallen before he was hit.

Allen, who grew up on an Arizona ranch, starred in several western movies, including a 1949 film called ``The Arizona Cowboy''', and in a U S television series called "Frontier Doctor". His signature stallion for the western movies, Koko the wonder horse, was added in his second film, "The Hills of Oklahoma". Allen also narrated more than 80 Walt Disney films.