June Whitfield dead at 93

Absolutely Fabulous star June Whitfield has died.
The 93 year old, who also appeared in Carry On films and BBC sitcom Terry and June, passed away “peacefully” on Friday night (28Dec18), according to her agent.
Whitfield was a beloved TV figure in Britain, capping off her six-decade career as a nun on EastEnders in 2015 and 2016 and in retirement comedy Boomers. She also reprised her role as Mother in 2016’s Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
Born in London in 1925, June attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before making her mark in theatre, working alongside mentor Wilfred Pickles, who helped her master comic timing.
She became a household name in the mid 1950s on radio comedy show Take It From Here, and became a staple of U.K. TV comedy throughout the 1950s and 1960s, working alongside the likes of Tony Hancock, Frankie Howerd, Benny Hill, Ronnie Barker, Richard Briers, and Eric Morecambe.
She became part of a popular TV double act when she teamed up with Terry Scott for Happy Ever After in 1974 and Terry and June five years later.
She also appeared in four Carry On films – Carry On Nurse, Carry on Abroad, Carry on Girls, and Carry on Columbus.
She became internationally known in her late 60s after signing on to play the mum of Jennifer Saunders’ character in TV hit Absolutely Fabulous in 1992. The show went on to become one of the most popular sitcoms of the decade.
She was made a Dame in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2017.
Absolutely Fabulous producer Jon Plowman was among the first to pay tribute to Whitfield on Saturday, insisting there was “no-one with a better ability to just ‘place’ a line, always an act of utter precision”.