Keeping Up Appearances star Dame Patricia Routledge has died

Actress Dame Patricia Routledge, best known for TV show Keeping Up Appearances, has died aged 96, her agent has said.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love," her agent said in a statement.

"Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia's passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles.

"She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world."

Dame Patricia played the notoriously snobbish Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom between 1990 and 1995, which attracted as many as 13 million viewers at its peak.

She earned two BAFTA nominations for the role in 1992 and 1993.

Another of her notable 90s TV appearances came when she played a pensioner-turned-detective in the £3m six-part BBC TV crime series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

She also had a prolific career in the theatre, winning an Olivier Award for her role as the Old Lady in acclaimed composer Leonard Bernstein's operetta Candide in 1988, and a Tony Award for her part as Alice Challice in Darling Of The Day in 1968.

The actress was honoured at Buckingham Palace in 2017, being made a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to the theatre and charity.

She was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside in 1929, and went on to study English Language and Literature at the University of Liverpool, where she appeared in student shows before making her professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952, playing Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Years later, after her career skyrocketed, she spoke of how important her northern roots were to her.

"You are never done with your roots. I think the people who try to make out that they are, are in deep trouble," she was once quoted as saying.

Dame Patricia made her debut on a London stage in 1954, quickly establishing herself as a major character actress.

She also became a Broadway star, wowing New York critics with her performance in the play How's The World Treating You? and appearing in numerous musicals.

Later, Leonard Bernstein penned solos especially for her as she starred in the presidential drama 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Though she was best known for embodying Hyacinth Bucket in the '90s, she made memorable TV appearances from the 1950s.

Notable roles included Victoria Regina for Granada in 1964 and Kitty in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the mid-1980s.

More recently, in 2016, Dame Patricia fronted a Channel 4 documentary celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, having previously played the children's author on stage and in 2012.

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