Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker has died at the age of 81.
The Irish star won an Academy Award for her role in My Left Foot and became a Christmas favourite as the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Fricker died after a period of ill health, her agent, Phil Belfield, confirmed.
Brenda Fricker dies aged 81
Belfield shared the news of Fricker’s death on Friday (July 17) and paid tribute to her lasting legacy.
Our hearts are broken as the divine and absolute legend left the world peacefully yesterday evening. Always in our hearts 💔 17/2/45 – 16/7/26 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/77FyDPqSZa
— Belfield & Ward Ltd (@BelfieldWard) July 17, 2026
He said: “It is with much sadness that I share the news that beloved actress Brenda Fricker passed away last night peacefully after a period of ill health, at the age of 81.
“Dublin-born and bred, Brenda Fricker undoubtedly deserves the noun legend.
“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.
“I was honoured to know, love, and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”
Brenda Fricker’s career
Fricker won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film My Left Foot, which tells the story of an Irish man named Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot.
The Dubliner was also well known for her role in the 1992 follow-up to Home Alone, where she played Pigeon Lady, a homeless woman in New York’s Central Park.
Fricker was part of the original cast of BBC medical drama Casualty and appeared in other television favourites, including the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and long-running soap Coronation Street.
Her film credits included:
My Left Foot (1989)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993)
Angels In The Outfield (1994)
A Time To Kill (1996)
Veronica Guerin (2003)
Her later roles included the TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s novel Holding and the Channel 5 drama series The Catch.
Belfield described her most recent solo film performance in Tadhg O’Sullivan’s The Swallow as “a thing of beauty” that showed “the truth and majesty of Brenda as an actor.”
She was married to director Barry Davies from 1979 until 1988, and spoke publicly about her struggles with depression following multiple miscarriages.
Her hobbies reportedly included caring for her dogs, reading poetry, playing snooker, and enjoying Guinness.
What’s your favourite film or TV show that Brenda Fricker was involved in? Let us know in the comments.