Tributes have flooded in for the stage and screen actress Hadyn Gwynne who has died aged 66. The star, who was perhaps best-known for her work in television shows such as Drop the Dead Donkey and The Windsors, had recently pulled out a stage production last month after being diagnosed with cancer.
The sad news was confirmed in a statement by her agent which read: "It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.
© Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock"We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton Hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks."
Tributes began emerging on social media following the sad announcement. All Creatures Great and Small star and fellow stage actor Samuel West said: "This is a terrible loss. One of the nicest and one of the best." Playwright Jack Thorne penned: "Haydn was the kindest, loveliest soul and a wonderful performer. She gave everything to everything."
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© David M. BenettFans also shared their sadness. One wrote: "Oh no! She was brilliant as Camilla. Very sad." A second said: "Always brilliant in absolutely everything." A third added: "Such sad news. Her performance of 'Ladies who Lunch' at the Sondheim 'Old Friends' concert last year was the highlight of the show. RIP."
Haydn first rose to fame in the late 1980s with her work on the mini-series, Nice Work. After that, she began appearing in the hugely successful comedy, Drop the Dead Donkey, which also starred Victoria Wicks, Neil Pearson, Susannah Doyle and Robert Duncan.
© ITV/ShutterstockFollowing that, Haydn turned her focus to the theatre. She was a member of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company and had performed in numerous productions including Richard III.
Haydn's other notable theatre credits included Billy Elliot, which she performed in the West End and Broadway, City of Angels, Hedda Gabler and Ziegfield.
© Channel 4Other TV work included Midsomer Murders, Silent Witness, Ripper Street, Death in Paradise, Father Brown and, more recently, The Windsors, in which she portrayed Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and, later, Queen Camilla for the Coronation Special episode.
