Stars of the entertainment world have been paying tribute to Dame Angela Lansbury, after the Murder, She Wrote actress died aged 96.
Angela's children announced the actress had died peacefully at home in Los Angeles this afternoon - just five days before her 97th birthday.
Dame Angela was known for playing crime novelist Jessica Fletcher in the long running TV series Murder, She Wrote, Broadway musicals Mame and Gypsy, and for voicing Mrs Potts in the Disney animation Beauty and the Beast.
The screen legend also starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Sweeney Todd.
Frozen actor Josh Gad paid tribute to Lansbury's extraordinary career on Twitter, sharing a photo of himself and the icon.
He wrote: “It is rare that one person can touch multiple generations, creating a breadth of work that defines decade after decade. #AngelaLansbury was that artist.
“From ‘Mame’ to ‘Bedknobs’ to ‘Murder She Wrote’ to ‘B&TB’ to ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ she touched 4 generations. RIP Legend.”
Star Trek actor George Takei penned a heartfelt tribute, writing on Twitter: "Angela Lansbury, who graced the stage for decades winning five Tony awards and brought the sleuthing Jessica Fletcher into our living rooms for a dozen years, has passed.
"A tale old as time, our beloved Mrs. Potts will sing lullabies to us now from the stars. Rest, great soul.”
Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson shared a fond memory of the actress on social media.
“I’ll never forget sitting next to Angela Lansbury at an opening night,” he tweeted.
“Even though I had to pee I refused to leave my seat during intermission. I spent the 15 minutes chatting with her instead.
“She was incredibly lovely and I’m so glad I had that brief time with her. RIP Angela.”
West End star Elaine Paige said Dame Angela was “always so kind and generous” when the pair had met, describing her as “one of the last Golden Age of Hollywood stars”.
“So upset to hear the news that the legendary Dame Angela Lansbury has died,” Paige tweeted, sharing a picture of the pair together.
“One of the last Golden Age of Hollywood stars & a Broadway & West End icon.
“Always so kind & generous when I met her. She will will be sadly missed. RIP dearest Angela .”
“Saddened to learn of the passing of Dame Angela Lansbury,” Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport tweeted.
“An icon of the theatre, a legend of the screen and one of the greatest actors of our time. May she Rest In Peace.”
Will and Grace actor Eric McCormack, who starred with Angela in a play, and described her as an "incredible woman", adding there was "no one like her," on Twitter.
Actor Jason Watkins, who has starred in The Crown and Des, shared a photo of Dame Angela Lansbury as a young woman, wearing a purple dress with her hair clipped up.
He said: “8 decades as an actor. One of the very greats. An extraordinary presence. Rest in Peace.”
Responding to the news of Dame Angela's death, Canadian writer and two-time Booker Prize-winner Margaret Atwood tweeted: “Oh no. Very sad to hear. Wonderful + versatile actress!”
The UK HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust paid tribute to the actor's HIV advocacy in the 1980s and 1990s.
The charity tweeted: “Dame Angela Lansbury was a prominent advocate of HIV activism in the 1980s and 90s – even fronting a TV information campaign.
“Going on to say: ‘I’ve lost so many friends to AIDS that it’s very, very close to me.’
“May she rest in peace.”
Fans of the Beauty and the Beast actress described her as a "true icon", and the "last classy movie star".
One fan wrote on Twitter : "It breaks my heart to hear of Angela Lansbury's passing. An absolute icon, her performances in Sweeney Todd on stage, and the films Court Jester and Company of Wolves will forever be among my favorite roles."
In a statement, Dame Angela's family announced her passing.
The statement read: "The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday," her family said in a statement.
"In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury.
"She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined."
