RIP Dame Patricia Routledge

Dame Patricia Routledge has died at the age of 96. Born February 17, 1929, she had an acting career spanning stage and both large and small screens. She will be most widely remembered for her television work. Her starring role as Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances (1990) netted Dame Patricia the title of Britain's all-time favorite actress in 1996 and led to her achieving global recognition due to the show's incredible popularity. After five years in that role, she left for something new with the show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996) and later went on to helm multiple theatrical tours. When interviewers would ask her when she planned to stop performing, she would ask them to spell 'retirement' because: "It's not in my vocabulary." Dame Patricia Routledge (1929 -2025)