Jill Gascoine has died aged 83 following a ten-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease as her family says they are relieved she is not suffering anymore.
The British actress, best known for her TV role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in 1980s TV series The Gentle Touch, and spin-off C.A.T.S. Eyes and The Onedin Line, was married to fellow TV star, Alfred Molina, 66 as reported in The Daily Mail.
Her son Adam confirmed her death, writing on Facebook on Wednesday morning: ‘She suffered from Alzheimer’s for 10 years, so today was a thankful release.
According to the release:
The family is all well and relieved that she’s not suffering anymore. There will not be a memorial for a good while due to the current climate. The family will reach out once the details have been arranged. We will likely hold 2 services, one in London for the UK friends and family, and one in Los Angeles for the US side. She was a wonderful human and a spirit of truth and absolute, unconditional love. There was no other. I am happy she’s moved on. Please raise a glass. Be kind and love deeply.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will not be a memorial for Jill, who lived in a care home in Los Angeles in the later stages of her life, for a good while, but the family is planning services in the US and UK.
Jill and Alfred married in 1986 and he was 16 years her junior. He adopted her sons, Adam and Sean, from her first marriage to Dundee hotelier Bill Keith.
In the 1990s, Jill and Alfred moved to Los Angeles. She recovered from a battle with kidney cancer in 1997 after it was detected in its early stages.
In 2009, she was due to join EastEnders as Glenda Mitchell, the mother of Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell, but later withdrew from the role and it was re-cast, with Glynis Barber taking on the part.
Speaking about the role, Jill previously said: ‘Having spent the last 15 years working in America. I felt on arrival I lacked the right experience to film such a big continuing drama.
In the later stages of her career, she became a novelist and published three books. It was widely reported that she suffered from depression for most of her life.
In 2016, husband Alfred, who played Doctor Octopus in Spiderman 2, confirmed his wife was ‘in a very advanced stage’ of Alzheimer’s disease.
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