Soap Opera Star Barbara Young Dead at 92

Coronation Street and Last Of The Summer Wine actress Barbara Young has died. Young passed away at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27 at the age of 92, her daughter, singer Liza Pulman, confirmed, adding that her mother received “remarkable care” at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Young’s cause of death has not been disclosed at this time.

“Just to let people know, my beautiful, brilliant, opinionated, loud, warm-hearted, talented and singular mother died on Thursday night at 10.30pm. My sister Cory and I were by her hospital bed for 30 hours straight and in the end, as is so often the case, she slipped away in our absence with a beautiful nurse called Mercy ( you couldn’t write it) caring for her,” Pullman confirmed her mother’s passing. “The care she received in those last days at Addenbrookes was remarkable – considered, careful and empathetic – and to a person, they all said how much they had loved my mum, how she had made them laugh and how she had always been interested in them.”

Born on Feb. 9, 1931, Young was a beloved British soap opera star who appeared in numerous soaps, including The Bill, Casualty, Hollyoaks, Doctors, and Holby City. She was perhaps best known for her roles in Coronation Street and Last Of The Summer Wine. In the ITV soap Coronation Street, Young starred as Barbara Platt, the mother of Martin Platt, who married Gail, and most recently as Rita Sullivan’s friend Doreen Fenwick. She appeared on the show from 1961 until 2007. She starred as Stella on Last of the Summer Wine from 2008 until 2010. Other notable roles include her portrayal of Sadie Hargreaves, later Lloyd, in Channel 5 soap Family Affairs. Her most recent credit was in the 2018 film The Keeper.

In the post confirming her mother’s passing, Pullman noted that Young was 43 years without my father, 30 years without a cigarette and 20 years without a drink but never without a humbug.” She said, “I have no words to describe how much I will miss her. You did well mum. Safe travels.”

Pullman’s post was met with an outpouring of condolences, with comedian Dawn French writing, “Love all around you, sweet L.” Actor Tom Scurr said it had been “a real pleasure working with Barbara years ago. She was totally joyful.” Somebody else commented, “there are no words at a time like this, or as I’ve found, there never are really but I think that’s to allow time for your head & heart to do what they need to do. Condolences & gentle hugs to you xx.”