Leaving behind a legacy, widely acclaimed actress Dame Barbara Windsor was pronounced dead on Thursday evening. Peers and colleagues who worked with and knew the lovely lady was broken by the news and sounded devastated.
A couple of hours after the announcement, tributes, and condolences for Barbara who was loved and adored by the masses started to pour in. She was a brave woman.
The popular star of TV shows like Carry On and EastEnders was suffering from Alzheimer’s, passed away peacefully at the age of eight-three at a nursing facility in London, shared husband Scott Mitchell. She was diagnosed with a mental disorder in 2014 and was shifted to a care home at the beginning of the year.
Reminiscing about his late wife he said, “I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.” He further said, “She will be remembered for the “love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson sympathized with the family of the deceased and tweeted, “So sad about Barbara Windsor, so much more than a great pub landlady and Carry On star. She campaigned for the lonely and the vulnerable and cheered the world up with her own British brand of harmless sauciness and innocent scandal”.
Dame Barbara rose to fame from small parts in popular films like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and played role in “On the Fiddle with Sir Sean Connery. She made an appearance in 9 Carry On comedy series films and was nominated for the British Academy Film and Television Award for her portrayal of the character Maddie Gooding in the movie Sparrows Can’t Sing.
In 2016 she was given the title of “Dame” for not only entertaining her audience but also for her countless donations and philanthropic services. The year also marked her last role in any serial or soap opera show.
She enticed the viewers and successfully grabbed their attention with her amazing stage performances and theatrics. Some of the most famous production include ‘Oh, What a Lovely War!’ for which she was won a Tony Award.
She went public with her illness in 2018. As an ambassador of the Alzheimer’s Society, she made tireless efforts to spread awareness and educate the people about the prognosis and intensity of the disease.
She became the voice of millions of people who believe that there isn’t sufficient knowledge to fight this battle and more needs to be done for those suffering from this horrid state of dementia.
Mr. Mitchell who equally championed the cause stated, “I will always be extremely proud of Barbara’s bravery, and kindness dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising the awareness for as long as she could.”