'Upstairs, Downstairs' star Nicola Pagett dies at 75

Upstairs, Downstairs star Nicola Pagett has died at the age of 75.

The actor, who had been battling a brain tumour, died suddenly on 3 March, The Guardian reported.

Pagett was best known for playing Elizabeth Bellamy in ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs, which was a hit in the 70s.

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Her other television appearances include Danger Man and The Sweeney, and she appeared alongside David Jason in comedy drama A Bit Of A Do. Pagett also played the title role in a BBC production of Anna Karenina.

During Pagett's career she also appeared on the stage and on the big screen in films such as Anne Of The Thousand Days, Operation Daybreak and An Awfully Big Adventure.

The star penned a book called Diamonds Behind My Eyes in 1997, which detailed her battle with mental illness.

Actor and writer Jane Slavin was among those to pay tribute on Twitter, calling Pagett “truly gifted”.

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“She was one of the finest actresses in the world and so extraordinarily beautiful I could not take my eyes off her,” she wrote.

“A truly gifted woman who even turned her madness into art.

"She was an icon of my childhood.”

Writer Jonathan Coe tweeted: "Very sad.

"Such a striking screen presence (I fell in love with her Anna Karenina) who was unable to perform for the last years of her life."

Pagett is survived by her daughter, Eve.

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