Following a long battle with serious illness, Yorkshire born Brittish actor and funny lady Mollie Sugden died in the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guilford this past Wednesday, aged 86.

Sugden is best known and loved internationally for her hilarious role in the hit comedy series Are you being served? which ran from 1972 till 1985. In the internationally successful show she is famed for her portrayal of the unintentionally smutty and upper-crust Mrs Betty Slocombe, the Grace Brothers department store sales woman with the pastel hued beehive hair do who regaled audiences with her endless tales about her pet ‘pussy’.

“She was great fun, a very good actress, very versatile. She could play serious stuff and comedy,” said Frank Thornton, who played opposite Mollie Sugden in the series as the stuffy store manager Captain Peacock.

“It was a very happy show to work on—you can’t play comedy with people you dislike,” he said to BBC television.

Before her famous comedy role, Sugden played Mrs Crispin in the sitcom Hugh and I, a regular sitcom role that brought attention to the actor. After Are You Being Served? she went on to play major roles in other sitcoms including That’s My Boy (1981 – 1986) and then My Husband and I (1987 – 1988).

Her husband, fellow actor William Moore died back in 2000, and the actress has been plagued by various illnesses since. She is survived by her two sons, twins Simon and Robin.

Check out this lovely tribute to Mollie Sugden: