The British television comedian and writer Victoria Wood has died of cancer at the age of 62.
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The actress, 62, died at her London home while surrounded by her family.
The comedy genius sadly passed away yesterday morning (20.04.16) following a six-month battle with cancer but she refused to let the disease get her down and was still trying to make people laugh right up until her tragic death.
The multi-award winning comedian died at the age of 62 following a short battle with cancer.
“Am devastated that she has gone and my thoughts are with her family”, she said.
She got her big break as a victor on New Faces and won two other Baftas earlier in her career, both for best light entertainment. As a woman from northwest of England she was an outsider in the world of British comedy, but became a well-known standup, and got her own TV show in the 1980s with “Victoria Wood as Seen on TV”.
She won five Baftas including two for her one-off ITV drama Housewife 49.
Alongside her long-term collaborator Julie Walters, she created popular favourites such as “Acorn Antiques” and sitcom “Dinnerladies” among many others. She split from her former husband, Geoffrey Durham aka magician the Great Soprendo, the father of her children, in 2002.
The brother of comedian Victoria Wood has paid an emotional tribute to his youngest sister.
“Victoria has been a part of our lives as a friend, devoted mother and national treasure for 30 years”. They have two children, Grace and Henry.
During the interview with Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard, he revealed she had been determined to battle her illness in private, saying: “Victoria was a very private person and was adamant her private life was kept separate. My condolences to all her family”. Always amusing, she worked incredibly hard.
Chris Foote Wood, aged 75, said his youngest sister’s death came as a great shock.
“She was a Bury girl that the town is very proud of, and I found her to be a very understated and pleasant lady”. She was truly an inspiration and had so much left to give and we won’t see it.
In 1997, she was made an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and was then made a CBE in 2008.
“Her humour, warmth, intelligence and winning combination of self-confidence and self-deprecation have made her an inspiration to our students over the years”.
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Victoria Robinson, chief executive officer of The Met, said: “We are very sad of hear of the death of an iconic star from Bury”.
