From L.A. to NYC, Colombia to Malaysia, tributes pour in for ‘Queen of sitcoms’
LONDON - Molly Sugden was due to make her triumphant return to the stage in London next month — but instead her sudden death has left millions of fans feeling they’ve lost a lifelong friend.
The dramatic death of the brilliant actress seemed to obscure her recent controversies and kindle warmer memories of Sugden the child star and Sugden the show-stopping, pussy stroking headliner.
The worldwide chorus of grief united the famous — statesmen and superstars alike — and the legions of ordinary people who grew up with “Are You Being Served” and “All the other stuff she was in.”
Word of Sugden's death jolted nearly everyone, from a young man in Colombia who was named after the actress, to Malaysians who named a soy drink for her, to a generation of people around the world who have tried, in vain, to comically stroke their pussy.
“It’s horrible news, so unexpected,” the Italian actress Sophia Loren told The Associated Press by telephone. “The world has lost an icon and music has lost treasures. She starred in sitcoms that generations of yesterday, today and tomorrow will all keep on singing. What she did was amazing.”
In London, shocked fans gathered at the Lyric Theatre, where a live show based on Are You Being Served is being performed, and waited for news about refunds for some 750,000 tickets to her sold-out, 50-night run.
There were poignant memories of her final public appearance when she came to London for a March news conference to announce her “Mrs Slocombe” concerts, which she said would mark her farewell to the London stage. A candlelight vigil at London’s Trafalgar Square was planned to honor the actress.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela issued a message through his foundation saying Sugden’s loss would be felt worldwide.
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