Actress Dame Barbara Windsor has passed away aged 83. Her husband Scott Mitchell said she died peacefully from Alzheimer’s at a care home yesterday evening.
Dame Barbara was perhaps best known for her role as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, and for her appearances in the Carry On films.
As well as her career on the screen, Dame Barbara had a long theatre career, making her stage debut at just 13. She starred in Oh, What A Lovely War! on Broadway and was received a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 1965 Tony Awards for the role.
Christopher Biggins, Dame Barbara Windsor and Michael Ball at the West End Bake Off 2016 (Photo: Mark Lomas)
In 1970, she appeared on the West End in The Threepenny Opera and toured her own show Carry On Barbara!, and played Maria in Twelfth Night at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
In 1981, she played landlady Kath in dark comedy Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Lyric Hammersmith, and she was surprised on stage at Theatre Royal, Windsor in 1992 as the subject of This Is Your Life.
Zrinka Cvitešić, winner of the Best Actress in a Musical Award for Once, with presenters Barbara Windsor and Richard Fleeshman (Photo: Pamela Raith)
Following her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, Dame Barbara and her husband became ambassadors for the Alzheimer’s Society and met with the Prime Minister to raise awareness for the disease.
Dame Barbara was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to charity and entertainment.
Her husband Scott said she would be remembered for the “love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives”.