June Brown, a British TV icon best known for playing Dot Cotton on BBC soap EastEnders over three decades, has died. She was 95.
The news was announced by a representative for the show, who said that Brown had passed away Sunday night.
“There are not enough words to describe how much June was loved and adored by everyone at EastEnders, her loving warmth, wit and great humor will never be forgotten,” the rep said.
Born in 1927, Brown’s film and TV career kicked on in the 1970s with roles in Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Churchill’s People, Minder, Survivors and Oliver Twist. But it’s her 30-plus year spanning turn as the tragicomic Cotton on EastEnders for which she’ll be remembered the most.
Having been recommended to producers by original cast member Leslie Grantham, Brown played Cotton from 1985 to 2020, with a break between 1993 and 1997. On 2008 she became the first U.K. soap character to carry an entire episode single-handed, an achievement for which she was nominated for a BAFTA TV award. She was also appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honors list and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year’s Honors, both for services to drama and to charity.
In May 2015, Brown revealed that her eyesight was failing due to macular degeneration, which was later written into a storyline. She announced she had left EastEnders in February 2020.
