Manchester-based actress Maggie Fox, one half of comedy drama duo LipService, and a familiar face in TV roles, has died following an accident.
Her death was announced online by her artistic partner Sue Ryding, with whom Fox directed LipService.
Ryding posted on their web site: "It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Maggie Fox, my comedy partner of 40 years and co-Artistic Director of LipService. Maggie passed away yesterday with her family around her... As you can imagine I am completely heartbroken."
The cause of the accident has not been revealed but Ryding, with whom Fox started LipService in 1985, said she and those around her were in shock, adding: "This was very sudden following an accident.”
The two met as drama students at Bristol University in the 1970s.
“We were in a very serious production of Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea but for some reason the audience was on the floor laughing. A tragedy for Ibsen (he was good at those) but the launch of an epic comedy partnership. We have written 22 original comedies, touring all over the world, managing to have children in between! It's notoriously difficult to present new work in theatre and we are really proud that we managed to do so and to build an audience for it.”
The duo had planned a new digital version of one of their touring productions Chateau Ghoul which will now be released later in the year.
On Coronation Street, Maggie Fox appeared in four separate roles: in 1990 as a nurse, in 1992 as Charmian Grey, in 2001 as Ruth Audsley and in 2010 as Judge Travers.
She also appeared as housekeeper Bilson in six episodes of The Forsyte Saga, the ITV period drama featuring Damian Lewis, Rupert Graves and Gina McKee.