Open All Hours actor Lynda Baron has died at the age of 82.
Lynda was best known for portraying Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the classic BBC comedy and its revival Still Open All Hours, which aired between 2013 and 2016.
She also portrayed Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale and Christan Clarke, in EastEnders, and played the lead character, Aunt Mabel, in the 90s children’s TV show Come Outside.
Her agent told the PA news agency on Monday afternoon: ’It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved client Lynda Baron. She was a wonderful actress and a great friend.
“Her iconic roles of Nurse Gladys in Open All Hours and Aunt Mabel in Come Outside were loved by all generations. Renowned for her leading roles in West End musicals and dramatic productions alike, we have lost a leading light of our world.”
“We extend our deepest condolences to her daughter Sarah, her son Morgan and all her family,” her agent added.
Lynda began her acting career in the early 1960s, appearing ins shows like Crossroads, Up Pompeii and Doctor Who, before landing her role in Open All Hours, in which she shared the screen with David Jason and the late Ronnie Barker.
More recently, Lynda appeared in the the sitcom Citizen Khan, the crime drama Chasing Shadows and the BBC Four drama The Road To Coronation Street, which earned her a Bafta nomination for her portrayal of Ena Sharples actor Violet Carson.
Her stage roles included the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies, An Inspector Calls and a stage adaptation of In Celebration, co-starring Orlando Bloom.