'Game of Thrones' Celebates 'Dragon' Diana Rigg With Tender Tribute

Game of Thrones is celebrating the life and legacy of actress Diana Rigg. Rigg, who starred on the [...]

By Allison Schonter

Game of Thrones is celebrating the life and legacy of actress Diana Rigg. Rigg, who starred on the series as Lady Olenna Tyrell, died Thursday at the age of 82 after having been diagnosed with cancer in March. As news of her death sent shockwaves throughout the GoT fandom, the official Twitter account for the series took to the social media platform to pay its respects, sharing a fitting tribute to the late actress.

Rigg had portrayed Lady Olenna Tyrell on the HBO series from 2013 until 2017, a role that earned her four Emmy nominations for outstanding guest actress in a drama series. Her character, also dubbed the Queen of Thorns, was a fan favorite and earned her an entire new generation of loyal fans thanks to her quick wit and humor, once described as "the tart-tongued" matriarch of House Tyrell by Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2017, just after her character was killed off, Rigg admitted she was a little shocked at the new following.

"Obviously, it's great that has happened, and great it was a young audience — terrific," she told the outlet. "That's the nature of my profession. The young, I don't expect them to know about my past, but if, through Game of Thrones, they discover me, that's good."

Given her popularity in the series, fans were heartbroken to learn of her passing, many taking to social media to react. GoT's own tribute post acted as a place for many fans to share their own tributes, with one person recalling that Rigg "stole every scene she was in," calling her "a true loss." Another responded, "Our wonderful Queen of Thorns, one of the best characters of the show. Diana was amazing in every scene. RIP." Several more reacted to the news with an infamous line from the series, "And now her watch has ended."

Prior to her turn on Game of Thrones, Rigg had made a name for herself via a number of other high profile roles. She made her TV debut in the '60s, taking on the role of Emma Peel in The Avengers from 1965 to 1968, a role that earned her two Emmy nominations. She also appeared in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969 and continued her career in both TV and theater for several decades. In 1997, she won an Emmy for her part as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, a British miniseries, just three years after taking home a Tony in 1994 for Medea. Game of Thrones was among her final credits.

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