SAD NEWS: Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales’ son makes HEARTBREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT after long battle with dementia

Fawlty Towers

Prunella Scales has sadly di3d at the age of 93, her sons have confirmed. In a statement shared with the PA news agency, her sons Samuel and Joseph said: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales di3d peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. 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 di3d. Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He di3d in November 2024. She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

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Prunella was best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty, wife of John Cleese’s character Basil, in Fawlty Towers, though she also played Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett’s A Question of Attribution. She starred alongside her late husband Timothy West for their docuseries Great Canal Journeys.

Prunella retired from acting after being diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013. Her husband Timothy di3d in November 2024 at the age of 90, but she was sadly not able to fully understand that he had di3d. Her son Samuel said: “All I am going to say is she’s not really well enough to take it all in.”

She tied the knot with Timothy in 1963. The pair met on the set of period drama She Di3d Young, and would solve crosswords and write letters to each other in between takes.

Timothy said of his wife: “Pru and I had certain amounts of time off. We spent a lot of time doing crosswords and writing letters to each other. This is something that has gone on all our lives.

“We love writing letters about something that the other person might have missed or not quite understood. We would make each other laugh and make each other find out about things.”

Tributes have flooded in for Pru online, with one fan tweeting: “Very sad to hear the news about Prunella Scales. Forever Sybil. A Brilliantly written character and a brilliant performance from her.”

Someone else echoed: “West & Scales reunited. RIP #PrunellaScales d3ad at 93. A true legend of British stage and screen. Why was she not made a dame? A fabulous couple once again.”