The world of entertainment was left devastated when actress Patsy Byrne died in June 2014 – just one week after her fellow Blackadder star Rik Mayall.
Fans and stars from the world of entertainment paid tribute to the beloved star following her death, who played Nursie in the popular BBC historical comedy.
However despite having a long and successful acting career, Patsy Byrne was unaware that the fortune she had amassed was substantially larger than she thought.
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In the weeks following her death, Probate records revealed that Patsy had left an eye-watering fortune in her will – and also explained the star’s wishes for how her fortune should be distributed.
Tragic death and ‘Hidden’ £1.5m fortune
(Image: ITV/REX)
Patsy Byrne was one of the most familiar faces on our screens, after appearing hit TV programmes and films including Watching, Z Cars, Peak Practice, Kevin and Perry Go Large, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse, Les Miserables and David Copperfield – as well as a number of theatre productions.
She is also most fondly remembered as Nursie in the BBC programme Blackadder, along with her appearance in children’s TV programme Maid Marian and Her Merry Men.
However, Patsy sadly died at the age of 80 years old on June 17, 2014, with stars from the world of entertainment paying tribute to beloved actress.
(Image: Getty Images)
Blackadder actor Tony Robinson told 5 Live: “I was so fond of her as a person and so in awe of her capabilities that when I decided I wanted to introduce a mother to Maid Marion, my first choice was Patsy.”
Her death also came just one week after that of fellow Blackadder star Rik Mayall, who is fondly remembered for playing Lord Flashheart in the programme.
With a long and successful career on both stage and screen, it is no surprise that Patsy Byrne amassed a huge net worth.
Yet is has since been revealed that Patsy was unaware of how much her fortune was actually worth when she drew up her will, according to stepdaughter Monica Seccombe.
Patsy had majorly underestimated how much her fortune was worth – with her estate eventually revealed to be an eye-watering £1.5million following her death.
Inheritance wish
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Away from the limelight, Patsy Byrne was married to Patrick John Seccombe from 1967, until his death in 2000 – and was stepmother to six children.
As stated in Patsy Byrne’s last will and testament, the actress instructed that five of her six stepchildren should inherit £20,000 each – with the remainder of her fortune inherited by her sixth stepchild.
This meant that following the new revelation about her estate’s worth, her sixth stepchild Monica Seccombe was set to inherit an estimated £900,000 after inheritance tax.
However, Monica explained in an interview with The Mail On Sunday that there were no family feuds regarding the fortune, and that the majority was left to her as she was a solicitor, and that Patsy Byrne wished for her to deal with the estate.
Another of Patsy’s stepchildren, Margaret Seccombe also added: “The largest part of the estate was left to Monica to distribute as she saw fit. There was no argument about it.
“My stepmother arranged it that way so there could be some flexibility just in case one of us had died or another of us was in poverty at the time of her death.
“There has been full consultation with all the family.”
Charity donations
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Patsy Byrne’s last will and testament also set out a number of wishes for charity donations following her death.
Over £50,000 was left to The Theatrical Guild, along with the Denville Care Home for actors in Middlesex, where she spent the final few months of her life.
The actress also donated over £50,000 to St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London, as well as £20,000 to the Little Sisters Of The Poor Care Home in Kennington.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
