Ruth Madoc dead: Hi-de-Hi! actress dies aged 79 day after she tragically vowed ‘I’ll be back’ following fall
ACTRESS Ruth Madoc has died aged 79 after being rushed to hospital following a shock fall - just a day after she tragically vowed to fans "I'll be back".
The 79-year-old was best known for playing Gladys Pugh in the show Hi-de-Hi! from 1980 to 1988.
The Welsh actress became a household name playing chief yellowcoat Gladys Pugh in BBC One's hugely successful TV series about a holiday camp set in the late Fifties.
In a career spanning decades, she also starred in Doctors, Benidorm, Little Britain and Casualty.
Madoc also appeared in an array of roles in theatre and musicals, including Fiddler On The Roof and Gypsy.
The actress passed away on Friday after she was rushed to hospital following a fall, which forced her to pull out of a festive pantomime performance.
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But the day before her death, she had tragically reassured fans that she was on the mend.
She wrote on her Instagram following her fall: "Hiya everyone please don’t worry!
"I’m well and I’ll soon be back to normal, but unfortunately @princesstheatretorquay won’t get to have The Empress Gladys in the Panto this Christmas!!!
"I’m doing really well and will soon be back to normal".
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Confirming the sad news of her passing, Ruth's agent revealed the star was recovering from surgery in hospital when she died.
In a statement, Phil Belfield of talent agency Belfield & Ward Ltd, described Ruth Madoc as "one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many".
He said: "It is with much sadness that we have to announce the death of our dear and much loved client Ruth Madoc.
"Ruth passed away on the afternoon of Friday 9th December while in hospital following surgery for a fall she had earlier in the week, which had led her to have to withdraw from panto in Torquay.
"From film work such as Fiddler On The Roof and Under Milk Wood with Richard Burton and her iconic TV performance as Gladys Pugh in Hi De Hi! and more recently in Little Britain and on stage with Calendar Girls (the play and the musical), plus recent acclaim in short films Skinny Fat and Cardiff, she was truly a national treasure and was looking forward to getting back on the road in 2023 with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
"A real legend of the British entertainment scene, she was one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many. She is gone far too soon. Our hearts are broken!
"Thoughts are with her daughter Lowri, her son Rhys and all of her family."
The sad news comes after a shock accident which forced Madoc to pull out of her pantomime performance of Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, the theatre company said: "Following an accident earlier this week, after medical assessment, regretfully Ruth Madoc is no longer able to appear in this year's pantomime of Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay."
'LOVELY WOMAN'
Tributes quickly poured in for Ruth following her passing, with singer Paul Potts writing: "So sad. I’ve sat with her at many charity functions. Lovely person."
Sir Tony Robinson paid tribute to his "lovely friend" after hearing of her passing.
The Blackadder star said on Twitter: "She was not only funny and highly intelligent, she was smart, kindly, a loyal trade unionist, and wore her heart on the left. She'll be much missed."
Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth described her as a "wonderfully gifted actress" - adding it was "such sad news".
He said: "I was lucky enough to get to know her through my best friend from school, Simon Cadell. In Hi-De-Hi they were irresistible.
"RIP Ruth Madoc & thanks for the memories. Goodbye campers!"
Cadell played holiday camp boss Jeffrey Fairbrother, the object of affections for Madoc's character Glady Pugh in the BBC show.
Former Family Fortunes presenter Les Dennis and actor Joe McGann also paid tribute.
On Twitter, Dennis said: "So very sad to hear that lovely Ruth Madoc has passed away. She was such a talented and lovely woman. Thoughts with her family."
Meanwhile, McGann wrote: "Such sad news about the amazing Ruth Madoc. I was lucky enough to work with her more than once and I loved the bright, skilful, funny, fearless, kind, and inspiring ball of light that she always was."
Late actor John Challis' wife Carol said: "Sad news indeed. John and I did a panto season with Ruth and we enjoyed her company very much. Rest easy."
And Peep Show star Jim Howick added: "Farewell Ruth Madoc."
Madoc had previously broken her hip in a fall while rehearsing for her role in Calendar Girls in 2019.
But she confounded doctors with her speedy recovery from the injury.
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Born in April 1943 and brought up in Llansamlet near Swansea, Madoc trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before her break-out role playing Fruma Sarah in the film version of the musical Fiddler On The Roof in 1971.
She is survived by her two children.
