Actor, director and writer Kay Mellor has died aged 71.
A spokesperson for her TV production company, Rollem Productions, said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday 15th May 2022.
“We have lost a phenomenal talent and a true luminary. We ask that you please respect the privacy of the family and friends at this time.”
Mellor’s work included anthology drama series Dramarama (1982-1989), soap opera Families (1990-1993), television drama serials including Band of Gold (1995); Playing the Field (1998); Fat Friends (2000); Between the Sheets (2003); Strictly Confidential (2006); and The Syndicate (2012-2021). Films included: Girls Night starring Julie Walters, Brenda Blethyn and Kris Kristorfferson. In 1999, she both wrote and directed the feature film Fanny and Elvis starring Ray Winstone and one off drama Some Kind of Life which was BAFTA nominated and won the Prix Niki Award.
In 2017, Mellor turned Fat Friends into a stage musical with Nick Lloyd Webber writing the music. Fat Friends The Musical toured the UK in 2018. Mellor subsequently adapted Band of Gold, which toured the UK from 2019 until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mellor was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
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