EastEnders and Carry On legend Barbara Windsor dies aged 83 following dementia battle
11 December 2020, 06:38
Barbara Windsor has sadly passed away following a six-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
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Dame Barbara Windsor has died, aged 83.
The actress, best known for her role on EastEnders and in the iconic Carry On films, passed away "peacefully" with her husband at her side.
Tributes have been pouring in for the TV legend, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014.
The actress went public with the diagnosis in 2018.
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Barbara, famous for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap, died at 8:35pm in a care home in London on Thursday night, her husband announced.
Scott Mitchell, who wed Barbara in 2000, said in a statement to PA: "I've lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate."
He said: "Her passing was from Alzheimer's/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.
"Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career."
He continued: "Barbara's final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.
"It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve.
"I will always be immensely proud of Barbara's courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could."
Barbara shot to fame when she starred in her first Carry On film in 1964, Carry On Spying.
She went on to appear in a total of nine Carry On films, including Carry On Dick, Carry On Camping and Carry On Doctor.
Barbara filled the role of Peggy Michell in EastEnders in 1994, a role she took on for six years before breaking from the series.
She then returned to the soap in 2013 for another three years.
