Keeping Up Appearances beloved TV legend Dame Patricia Routledge dies age 96

British acting legend Dame Patricia Routledge has died aged 96.

The late actor is best known for her starring role in the hit British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, where she played Mrs Bucket from 1990 to 1995.

In a statement, Dame Patricia’s agent said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love.

‘Even at 96-years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles.

‘She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.’

Routledge’s career started in the 1950s with one of her first major credits as Sylvia Snape in Coronation Street in 1961.

She also starred in a series of movies across the 60s and 70s, including To Sir, With Love, Pretty Polly and The Bliss of Mrs Blossom.

In 1971, she appeared as Mrs Jennings in a TV adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, later appearing in Steptoe and Son, David Copperfield and The Two Ronnies.

Not to mention her appearance in Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads or as BBC’s amateur investigator Hetty Wainthropp.

After Keeping Up Appearances, which she starred in opposite the late Clive Swift, her last IMDb credit is from her role as the narrator in the 2004 series Blips.

The screen and stage star became a Dame in the 2017 New Year’s Honours for her services to theatre and charity. Meanwhile, earlier this year she returned to her hometown and recevied Wirral’s highest honour – the Honorary Freedom of the Borough.

Tributes have started flooding in for the late beloved actor.

‘Now off to the candlelight supper in the sky. Thank you for everything,’ William Hanson wrote on X.

‘Dame Patricia Routledge. Legend. She was far bigger than Keeping up Appearances but that show was huge – in the UK and US,’ Rob Osbourne said.

‘The fabulous Patricia Routledge, who brought us the marvellous Kitty in the 80’s and the hilarious social climber Hyacinth Bucket in the 90’s has sadly passed away. What a woman!’ Stew echoed.

‘RIP to an absolute icon, the likes of which we may never see again, Dame Patricia Routledge,’ @seoirse posted.

In September 2024, the BBC shared a 15-minute documentary in which the actor recalled her most iconic role, titled Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers… Keeping Up Appearances.

In a podcast interview with Jay Speaks in August this year, the Chichester resident shared a poignant reflection about her life.

‘My life didn’t quite take shape until my forties. I had worked steadily – on provincial stages, in radio plays, in West End productions – but I often felt adrift, as though I was searching for a home within myself that I hadn’t quite found.

‘At 50, I accepted the role of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. I thought it would be a small part in a little series. I never imagined that it would take me into people’s living rooms and hearts around the world,’ she said, per the Express.

And in a message penned ahead of her 95th birthday, she added: ‘Growing older is not the closing act. It can be the most exquisite chapter – if you let yourself bloom again.

‘Let these years ahead be your treasure years. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up – fully – for the life that is still yours.’