Pat Coombs

A beloved British comedienne, well known for her work on television and radio, Pat Coombs began her career in the mid 1950s, having formerly worked as a nursery school assistant. A "foil" for top comedians including Dick Emery, Bob Monkhouse and Peggy Mount she reached the height of her fame in the 1970s in a succession of long-running television series and as a 'celebrity' in numerous game shows. In the 1990s she joined the cast of EastEnders (1985) as Brown Owl Marge Green and played Pru in Noel's House Party (1991). In the mid 1990s she was diagnosed with the bone disease Osteoporosis but continued to work until the end of her life, recording a final installment of the radio series "Like They've Never Been Gone" (with June Whitfield and Roy Hudd) in February 2002. A lovable lady, Pat Coombs, who never married (although came close twice), died at Denville Hall, the actor's retirement home, on 25 May 2002. She was 75 years old.