Actress Lynda Baron, best known for her role as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in BBC sitcom Open All Hours, has died at the age of 82.
Baron starred opposite Sir David Jason and Ronnie Barker in the show, which ran for four series starting in 1976.
She also appeared in the sequel Still Open All Hours when it returned in 2013 and played Auntie Mabel in the 1990s BBC children’s programme Come Outside.
Her agent of nearly 30 years, Donna French, described Lynda as “a wonderful actress and a great friend.”
Baron with Ronnie Barker and David Jason on the set of the BBC sitcom
“Her iconic roles of Nurse Gladys in Open All Hours and Aunt Mabel in Come Outside were loved by all generations,” she continued.
“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.”
Lynda married John M Lee in 1966, and they shared two children together, Sarah and Morgan.
Early in her career, she was trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance and appeared in repertory theatre and several West End venues.
Baron also appeared in the ITV sitcom Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt, BBC soap EastEnders as Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale, and made appearances in Doctor Who, Last Of The Summer Wine and Dinner Ladies.
She was nominated for a BAFTA in 2011 for her role in The Road To Coronation Street on BBC Four, a one-off drama about the early days of the soap, in which she played actress Violet Carson.
Carson portrayed Ena Sharples in the long-running series.
Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley paid tribute by sharing two photos of Baron, who played her mother in the drama series Fat Friends.
While EastEnders paid their respects by sharing a photo of her in her role as Linda Clarke.
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