The Gentle Touch actress Jill Gascoine has died aged 83.
The Brit screen star reportedly died peacefully in her home in the early hours of this morning.
Gascoine’s step-daughter, Rachel Molina, confirmed her death, saying: “We lost someone very special in our family in the early hours of this morning. My beautiful step mum Jill.
“She passed away peacefully after living with Alzheimer’s for 10yrs. Before this, she was the most wonderful actress and dancer.
“Her death is not a surprise, and as her son Adam says it’s a thankful release from what is a brutal disease. I love this photo of her with her sons Adam and Sean. She was always so beautiful inside and out, and the best step mum I could have asked for.”
Her former school, the Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts, also released a tribute to the star.
Author and actress Jill Gascoigne rose to fame in the 80s (Image: Mirrorpix)
It read: “So sorry to hear this news. RIP, to former Alumni, actress Jill Gascoine. We are thinking of you Sean and your family during this difficult time.”
Beginning her acting career on the stage, Gascoine went on to appear in a number of popular TV shows throughout the 70s, playing Letty Gaunt in BBC’s The Onedin Line and featuring in General Hospital and Z-Cars.
She is best known for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series The Gentle Touch.
With huge ratings up and down the country, Gascoine made history as the first female actress to play the lead detective in a British police drama.
The Gentle Touch actress Jill Gascoine has died at the age of 83 (Image: Mirrorpix)
The Gentle Touch inspired the spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes in 1985, which also starred Gascoine working at an all-female police agency as DI Forbes.
Gascoine moved to Los Angles with her actor husband Alfred Molina in the 90s, appearing in US shows such as Northern Exposure and Touched by an Angel as well as featuring in stage productions.
There, she swapped acting for novel writing, later publishing three successful books – Addicted, Just Like A Woman and Lilian.
Jill Gascoine played Letty Onedin in the BBC drama The Onedin Line in the late 70s (Image: Mirrorpix)
Gascoine was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1997, though she thankfully made a full recovery due to early detection of the disease.
Though the couple remained in Los Angeles, Gascoine returned to the UK for several acting opportunities over the years.
In 2013, the TV actress revealed she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease while speaking at a gala organised to raise money to battle the illness.
Gascoine starred CATS Eyes, The Gentle Touch’s spin-off series, in the 80s (Image: Mirrorpix)
Three years later, during an interview with The Guardian, her husband Molina revealed she had been in a care home for some time after suffering from “a very advanced stage of Alzheimer’s”.
Since news of her death broke, tributes to her legacy on the screen and stage have been flooding in over social media.
Gascoine is survived by her two sons, Sean and Adam Keith, from her first marriage to hotelier Bill Keith, and her step-daughter Rachel Molina.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
