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Star Patricia Routledge, famous for embodying the character Hyacinth Bucket in the classic TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has left us at the 96, as confirmed by.

Additionally, she featured in Alan Bennett's celebrated solo performances and played the BBC's amateur detective Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

"We mournfully announce to share the death of Dame Patricia Routledge, who left this world peacefully in her sleep today in the presence of family."

"Despite her advanced years, her passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences stayed vibrant, just as modern audiences keep discovering her work through her popular television roles."

Her agent noted: "Her absence will be deeply felt by her inner circle and by her dedicated supporters worldwide."

Decades of Performance

Dame Patricia was most famous as the character Hyacinth Bucket - pronounced "bouquet" - a humorous character who exemplified the extremes of affectation and class consciousness.

"She is a wonderfully awful character and I had great fun with the role tremendously," the actress commented.

Keeping Up Appearances ran from the early 1990s, and the following year she was voted the most beloved female performer at the television awards.

Beyond television, she found acclaim in theater and film after beginning her professional life in the theatre in the mid-20th century.

Following roles in London's West End, she established herself in the US when she received the Tony Award for best lead actress in a musical on Broadway in New York for Darling of the Day in 1968.

She proved equally skilled at dramatic roles as she was at song-and-dance and humor - she took part in Richard III and Henry V at the RSC, then earned an theater prize for leading musical actress for the production Candide in the 1980s.

The 1980s also marked her rise as a television icon - landing appearances by Victoria Wood in the show As Seen on TV, and Alan Bennett in his acclaimed monologue series, including the 1988 piece A Lady of Letters, for which she was given a British Academy nomination.

She earned more award nominations, for her Hyacinth role, in 1992 and 1993, then headlined the central part as a retired woman on a journey into detective work in Hetty Wainthropp between 1996 and 98.

She received an Order of the British Empire in the nineties, a Commander of the British Empire in the 2000s, and the title of Dame in recent years.

An Enduring Impact

Through her memorable characters, Dame Patricia Routledge provided comedy and entertainment to millions, creating a extensive body of work that is still enjoyed by fans for generations to come.