‘Fawlty Towers’ Icon Dies at 93 After a Long Battle with Illness

Prunella Scales, the beloved actress best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in the iconic sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died at the age of 93 after living with vascular dementia for nearly a decade.

Her sons, Samuel and Joseph, confirmed that she passed away peacefully at her home in London.

“Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93,” her sons said. “Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.”

Prunella was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years until his death in November 2024. She is survived by two sons, a stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her family expressed gratitude for the care she received in her final days, saying her last moments were “comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

Scales enjoyed a long and versatile career. She gained international fame as Sybil Fawlty, the sharp-tongued wife of John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty, in the classic 1970s sitcom. The show ran for two series in 1975 and 1979 and remains one of Britain’s most celebrated comedy programs. John Cleese called her “a really wonderful comic actress” and added, “Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect.”

Colleagues praised her professionalism even as dementia affected her memory. Julian Machin, a stage manager, told The Telegraph: “Although Prunella has vascular dementia, which greatly affects her in many ways, she absolutely retains longer-term memory of herself and her working experience.” Machin also said in The Guardian: “It just took her back into herself. It was quite astonishing.”

Prunella was candid about her roles as queens, saying in 2024: “I don’t. When you say ‘like playing queens’ there aren’t any queens that I want to play. But the queens I have played have all been interesting people with interesting jobs and interesting lives. And that’s why I like playing them. I don’t like playing queens as such.”

Even late in life, she remained active in television, appearing on the travel series Great Canal Journeys with her husband until 2019. Timothy West reflected in a 2023 BBC interview: “Somehow we have coped with it and Pru doesn’t really think about it.”

Prunella Scales leaves behind a legacy of memorable performances and decades of dedication to her craft. She will be remembered for her sharp comedic timing, her versatility as an actress, and her resilience in the face of illness.

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