Mary Tamm has died

[SiHart]

Oh my goodness, just seen this...

BREAKING NEWS:

Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm has died aged 62, her agent has confirmed

Bloody hell.

[Nyder]

Oh no - that's awful news :-( Far too young to go

[SiHart]

From The Mirror

Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm died this morning after a long battle against cancer, her agent said. She was 62.

Tamm, who played the Doctor's companion Romana alongside Tom Baker, died at hospital in London. Her agent Barry Langford said she had a "zest for life".

The actress was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Estonian refugees, and had a long career on stage and screen.

As well as Doctor Who, she starred in films The Odessa File and The Likely Lads and had recurring roles in soaps Brookside and EastEnders.

Tamm leaves husband Marcus Ringrose, daughter Lauren and seven-year-old son Max. She had been suffering from cancer for 18 months.

Mr Langford, her agent of 22 years, said: "She had a great zest for life. She was a fantastic actress - she played stage parts of such range, parts that would take your breath away. She could play any role, and do so wonderfully."

Tamm, who lived in Battersea, south London, trained at Rada. Her first professional job was at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre where she worked alongside Derek Jacobi, Joan Sims and Ronnie Barker. From there she moved on to television work and film, her first feature film being Tales That Witness Madness with Kim Novak.

She recently starred in Wire In The Blood, Paradise Heights and Jonathan Creek, with stage work including Amanda in Private Lives and Beverley in Abigail's Party. Her autobiography was published three years ago.

Mr Langford said Tamm had been saddened by the recent deaths of contemporaries Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, and Angharad Rees, who died last weekend.

He added: "All of these people who she knew were going."

[Si Hunt]

I'm absolutely stunned.

Without doubt, the nicest, campest, most glam companion actress we ever met. She shared her champagne with us.

In shock.

Si.

[SiHart]

Iconic is the word.

[Terry Leptil]

This is so shocking especially so soon after Caroline John.

I once met Mary and she was a very nice woman and was a charming companion as Romana.

May she rest in peace.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

In shock.

I'm sure that sums it up for most of us. I only met her briefly but I find I'm genuinely quite upset by this news.

[Rob McCow]

God, that it so awful

Really sad to hear this. Really sad that it's cancer again. Terrible news.

[duncan]

Very sad news. RIP Mary.

[Si Hunt]

What was unusual about Mary Tamm was that she was such an exceptionally beautiful woman - I mean, she was just aweinspiring wasn't she, like an ice Queen or something - and you'd expect that to lead to arrogance, yet she was the most down-to-Earth, kind, Nortern girl you could hope to meet! She really seemed grounded, not intimidating at all! What a great combination.

Si.

[Jon Masters]

Stunned. RIP

[Milky Tears]

It's a shocker!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Yes, another heartbreaking loss.

[Antony Cox]

OMG, this is terrible news!

That's no age at all, and yet another of our glamorous girls gone. My thoughts are with her family - I was quite shocked to read that she had a seven year old son..!

RIP Mary.

[brandynigma]

The news now seems to be saying seven year old grandson.

Not been this sad about a Who death since Pertwee.

[SiHart]

Apparently it's now been corrected to 7 year old Grandson.

[Si Hunt]

I am glad we have six glorious Tamm & Tom adventures to come next year. A little bit of Mary still to enjoy.

Si.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

What is going on?

We seem to be loosing Doctor Who actors at an alarmingly fast rate.

I can only echo what has been said already. She was beautiful and very grounded, not at all the "I'm glam and I know it" sort.
Ant Cox and I saw her at one of the PanoptiCons in Coventry in the early '90s and I think maybe again in Hammersnith for 30 years PanotoptiCon and she was so friendly to everyone.

This is another terrible loss and as with Liz Sladen and Caroline John, its come as such a shock. I'm still stunned!

RIP Mary Tamm

[brandynigma]

I am glad we have six glorious Tamm & Tom adventures to come next year. A little bit of Mary still to enjoy.

Si.

Only correcting you because it's even better- we have seven Tom and Tamm adventures to look forward to.

[Dino]

I've only heard about this from reading this site. Still shocked. Had no idea she was ill. Sad news.

[SiHart]

I don't think anyone had any idea she was unwell.

BBC News have a tribute up now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18995370

And some other tributes:

Her husband Marcus says:

"Mary was truly beautiful in every way. She was a very spiritual lady who loved nature and adored all animals.

"On set and offstage, her earthy northern humour and self-deprecating wit brightened every occasion. She was a consummate actress, and immensely popular in the profession.

"Mary was born in Bradford, the daughter of impoverished refugees, and through sheer talent and hard graft got herself to Rada, starred opposite Jon Voight in The Odessa File, and found a form of immortality as the Time Lady Romana opposite Tom Baker in Doctor Who.

"We will miss her every day."

Tom Baker says:

"She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind. I'm so sorry to hear of her death."

[Larry]

have just heard the news and like everybody else I'm stunned by this news and is sadly another name to be added to the list of much loved peoplefrom the Doctor Who universe we have lost over the last year or so.

[SiHart]

What is it about this news that's made me so sad? I've been pondering this all morning.

My first encounter with Mary was on an old American documentary about the show. In it she seemed rather haughty about her time on the show and about the character and format of Doctor Who. I don't know, it just sort of put me off her really. Like she was too good for Doctor Who or something.
I never really shook this feeling for a long time. I fell in love with the Key To Time season as I watched the stories in the early 90s (it's a bit of a favourite for me) but she was never my Romana.

But she became this iconic figure. When we did the Camping it Photos all those years ago, me and Si always said when we met her she'd be the last person I'd ever stand back to back with. We loved to mock her for the way she came across, all the Darlings, the loveyness... but I think it was all good natured.

And then it happened- I got one of my favourite ever Camping It Up photos sandwiched between her and Lalla, with Mary just out-glamming us all. She was amazing, so down to earth and lovely- not at all like the haughty, aloof woman I'd imagined. I'd done her an injustice.

So, when I got to meet her again a few years later (as pictured earlier in the thread) it was a great pleasure to have the chance to chat to her for a bit, to cheer her on stage and tell her how great I thought she was in the Gallifrey series from BF. She seemed so chuffed to hear that.

And that's how I remember her today- smiling, so lovely and warm and happy. And that's why I'm so saddened by this news.

[Anthony Williams]

I just woke up to this news, and I'm in shock.

Like Caroline John and Elisabeth Sladen before her, none of us knew that she was ill.

But to me, it's different this time. Romana I was my favourite companion. She had this wonderful air of class about her. She was different to any other companion - an extremely green Time Lord. Romana I had all this knowledge, yet was quite naive at the same time. And Mary Tamm portrayed this character absolutely wonderfully.

Three years ago, Whitney was helping out at the TimeGate convention here in Atlanta. She was assigned as Mary Tamm's minder. And she has nothing but nice things to say about the lady. She confirms absolutely everything good about her that people on this thread have already said. But she wasn't just nice to her fans - she was lovely to the people who worked for her, too. And that really says a lot about a person.

I'm very glad that we have seven Big Finish plays still to come, starring her (alongside Tom Baker). But I never got to meet her. And I did have the chance in the past. I will always regret that. The world of Doctor Who has lost an icon. May she rest in peace.

[Si Hunt]

I also think maybe because Mary was so still involved with Doctor Who, it feels like she wasn't done. She still had stuff to give. She didn't SEEM or look old; she looked as beautiful as ever, she was performing new plays and pleasing convention audiences. She could have gone on, and she seemed in full flow. With her personal situation as well, it was absolutely too soon for her to go. She was one of our stars, and now she is gone and we are slowly getting to the point where there are very few left.

With all respect, some of the other companions - well, they arn't stars in the way Mary was. It sort of feels like, along with Katy Manning, she was one of the few big personalities we had left.

Si.