Celebrated Performer Dame Patricia Routledge, Legendary for Hyacinth Bucket, Passes Away at 96 Years Old
Actress Patricia Routledge, best known for portraying Hyacinth Bucket in the beloved television comedy the series Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96, her agent announced.
Beyond that, she featured in Alan Bennett's TV monologues and took on the role of BBC One's amateur detective Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
"We mournfully announce to announce the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep today surrounded by love."
"Despite her advanced years, Dame Patricia's passion for her work and for engaging with theatergoers stayed vibrant, just as younger viewers are still enjoying her roles through her cherished screen performances."
The announcement noted: "She will be dearly missed by her inner circle and by her devoted admirers globally."
An Illustrious Career
Dame Patricia was best known as Hyacinth Bucket - pronounced "bouquet" - a humorous character who represented the extremes of affectation and class consciousness.
"She is a wonderfully awful character and I enjoyed playing her enormously," the star said.
Keeping Up Appearances was broadcast from 1990 until 1995, and a year later she was chosen as the UK's favorite actress at the BBC's 60th anniversary awards.
She also found acclaim both live and recorded after beginning her professional life in the stage in the mid-20th century.
Following roles in the West End, she made a name in the US when she won the Broadway trophy for outstanding actress in a musical on Broadway in New York for the musical Darling of the Day in 1968.
She proved equally skilled at serious drama as she was at song-and-dance and humor - she took part in classic plays at the prestigious theater company, then won an theater prize for outstanding musical performance for the production Candide in the 1980s.
The 1980s also marked her rise as a household name - being given roles by comedian Victoria Wood in the show As Seen on TV, and Alan Bennett in his acclaimed monologue series, including 1988's A Lady of Letters, for which she earned a Bafta nomination.
She garnered more award nominations, for the popular sitcom, in 1992 and 1993, then headlined the main character as a older lady on a mission to investigate mysteries in BBC One's Hetty Wainthropp Investigates between 1996 and 98.
She received an OBE in 1993, a Commander of the British Empire in the 2000s, and the title of Dame in 2017.
A Remarkable Life
Through her unforgettable roles, Patricia Routledge delivered humor and entertainment to countless viewers, leaving behind a impressive career portfolio that is still enjoyed by fans into the future.
