Diana Rigg, the Emmy- and Tony-award winning British actress who vaulted to international fame in the 1960s with her performance as a spy Emma Peel on The Avengers, then gained a new following decades later as the cunning Lady Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones, has died. She was 82.
Rigg was diagnosed with cancer in March, according to her daughter Rachael Stirling, who said she had “spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words.”
“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Dame Diana Rigg died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time,”said agent Simon Beresford. “Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television. She was the recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen. Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed.”
Rigg was a regular recipient of award nominations for her work both on stage and on screen. In 1994 she won the Best Actress in a Play Tony for Medea, while she was Golden Globe nominated for The Hospital in 1972, won an Emmy for Rebecca in 1997, a BAFTA TV award in 1990, and received several Olivier nominations.
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