Dame Barbara Windsor, a British actress best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, has died at 83 after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Her husband Scott Mitchell said the actress died peacefully at a care home in London on Thursday evening.
Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018.
In a moving tribute, Mitchell expressed;
I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soulmate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you. 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 stressed;
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.
Mr Mitchell, who alongside his late wife campaigned for greater dementia care from the Government, added;
Dementia/Alzheimer’s remains the UKs number one killer. Although in challenging times, I urge the Prime Minister, his government and other parties to be true to their previous promises and invest more into dementia/Alzheimer’s research and care.
Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and carers who are angels at the care home for your kindness and care to Barbara and I throughout her stay with you. You are my heroes.
He stressed;
And my gratitude to our family, friends and everyone in the media and the general public for all the good wishes and warm support that has been shown to Barbara over the last few years during her illness. Barbara deeply appreciated that.
At the end of his moving tribute, Mr Mitchell expressed;
May you rest in peace now my precious Bar. I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.
I will be making no further statements and now need the time to grieve this painful, personal loss.
Dame’s co-stars and other celebrities have paid tribute through their respective social media accounts following the announcement of her death.
