Jean Fergusson death: Last of the Summer Wine actress dies, aged 74

The actress also starred in Coronation Street
BBC
Rachel McGrath15 November 2019
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Last of the Summer Wine actress Jean Fergusson has died at the age of 74.

The star will be familiar to TV fans thanks to her 25 years in the hit drama, during which time she played Marina.

The news was confirmed by Fergusson​'s agents with an official statement that read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of actress Jean Fergusson, known to millions as flirtatious Marina in the long-running BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine.

“Born in Wakefield on 30th December 1944, she was a proud Yorkshirewoman who never forgot her roots. Her career spanned more than fifty years and started in repertory playing a variety of roles."

Corrie: Fergusson played Hoyle for two years
ITV

“Jean was a much-loved and respected actress, a brilliant comedienne, raconteur and the life and soul of any gathering. She will be much missed by her many friends and colleagues," they continued.

The actress's career also saw her appear in Coronation Street, making two appearances as different characters in 1987 and 1999.

She then landed a regular role, joining as Dorothy Hoyle, in 2010.

Tributes began pouring in following the confirmation of Fergusson's death on Friday morning.

'Allo 'Allo! actress Vicki Michelle commended her for being a "lovely lady [and] fabulous actress", revealing that she had planned to see Fergusson next week.

Ben Stock, an actor and friend of Fergusson's, added: "Like many friends, I’m so sad at the passing of dear Jean Fergusson. Always the first to book tickets, she was such a supportive friend."

As well as delighting TV fans, Fergusson had a successful stage career and was nominated for an Olivier award in 1998, for playing British comic Hylda Baker.

After leaving Coronation Street in 2011, Fergusson made a handful of appearances in Doctors.

In 2106, she took part in a celebrity episode of Pointless.

Her death comes following that of her former Last of the Summer Wine co-star Juliette Kaplan, who died in October at the age of 80. ​

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in