Actress Barbara Windsor, best known as the buxom, blonde-haired star of Britain’s hit Carry On film franchise, has died at the age of 83, her husband said yesterday.
Windsor made nine appearances in the innuendo-laden comedy films, and later became a mainstay as pub landlady Peggy Mitchell in the popular television soap opera EastEnders. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and campaigned for better care for those suffering with dementia and associated diseases.
Her husband, Scott Mitchell, who was at her side in the London care home when she died, said Windsor’s “final weeks were typical of how she lived her life”. He added she was “full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end”.
Mitchell said he, her family and friends would remember her 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”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who met Windsor at Downing Street last year to highlight concerns over dementia care and once had a cameo with her in EastEnders, led the tributes.
“She campaigned for the lonely and the vulnerable — and cheered the world up with her own British brand of harmless sauciness & innocent scandal.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Dame Barbara was a “national treasure” and her death marked a huge loss.
Windsor — often known as ‘Babs’ — was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 for her work with charities supporting the elderly and veterans, and her services to entertainment.
