ACTRESS Dame June Whitfield has died at the age of 93.
The London-born actress, famous for her roles in Terry and June and Absolutely Fabulous, was a regular fixture on TV and radio for six decades, starring in Carry On films, Hancock's Half Hour, and, more recently, Coronation Street and Eastenders.
Her agent confirmed that she passed away ‘peacefully’ on Friday night. She was widowed 16 years ago and is survived by her daughter Suzy.
- Dame June Whitfield: From Carry On to Absolutely Fabulous
TV producer Jon Plowman, who worked on Absolutely Fabulous, said there was "no-one with a better ability to just 'place' a line, always an act of utter precision".
He said she had been 'fabulous over seven decades' and her death was a great loss.
Broadcaster Danny Baker hailed Whitfield as "formidable, dependable, inimitable. A rock. A gem."
Comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner also paid tribute to Dame June on Twitter, saying she was the "go-to comedy actress for three generations".
"From 60s radio to 70s, 80s, even 90s TV. Always graceful and elegant with a real comic glint in her eye and (absolutely) fabulous timing," he added.
From her early radio appearances in the 1950s, through to her antics on Absolutely Fabulous, Dame June featured in more than 1,300 radio and television shows.
She was made an OBE in 1985 and was given a damehood in 2017 for her services to drama and entertainment.
- Dame June Whitfield: Stars recall generosity and kindness of ‘friendly goddess’
Last year, June revealed she moved into a care home after living on her own ‘in a big house for 10 years’ following the death of her husband. "Now I have friends where I live and I like it. They’re fun," she said.
"I don’t have to worry about things like the roof or the plumber any more."
She recently gave an interview saying she couldn’t watch modern TV because she didn’t like the amount of sex and swearing in it.
She said: "Everything, every channel, it’s either some sex scene or a killing of some kind. And where’s the humour gone? You can’t really get a good laugh from television.
"I do like people like Michael McIntyre, but some of them just spend the whole time swearing."
Born in Streatham, London, in 1925 Dame June started her career in radio before getting her big break in 1953 when she replaced Joy Nichols on Muir and Norden radio comedy, Take It From Here.
Her first starring TV role came in the BBC sitcom Beggar My Neighbour in 1966.
She went on to form her first working relationship with Terry Scott in Scott On..... before the pair teamed up again for Terry & June, which went on to attract audiences of 15 million during its eight year run.
Whitfield described herself as living "in the suburban corner, in real life and in the parts I've played. Very English, and nothing wrong with that".
Her big screen appearances included four Carry On films, and, in 1996, the part of Aunt Drusilla in a film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure
"The Carry Ons were a nudging sort of humour, like seaside postcards," she said. "Not at all politically correct, which was always a good thing."
In 1992, she won a new generation of fans with her portrayal of Edina's unworldly mother in the internationally successful Absolutely Fabulous.
Originally scheduled to appear in just one episode, she went on to become one of the show's most popular characters.
Dame June continued acting well into her 70s and 80s, with appearances in Midsomer Murders and the Last Summer Wine before joining David Tennant in his last trip in the Tardis as Doctor Who in The End of Time in 2009.
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