RIP Elisabeth Sladen

I was so so so so so sad to hear this! I can't believe it, she seemed so young and so full of life. cancer can creep up on you so quickly.

I adore her in the old Doctor Who with Pertwee and Baker, and I adore her now. Her episode with Tennant is just wonderful. Plus, I don't care if her tv show is meant for children, it was AMAZING and really good fun to watch. Streets ahead of all the other crappy children's tv shows around. Sarah Jane Smith is such an awesome role model for girls, if I was a bit younger I would totally want to be her. They filmed three stories of the new series of the Sarah Jane Adventures before she died, I look forward but with some sadness to watching them. What an absolute legend. I was watching an episode from her show broadcast just a couple months ago where Sarah Jane unites with another old Doctor Who companion Jo Grant, because they believe The Doctor has died. All tha talk about death and stuff, it damn well near broke my heart.

She will be missed!

Aww, the kids

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_9460000/newsid_9463000/9463099.stm

Doctor Who star Elisabeth Sladen dies

April 19, 2011 |By: Andy Welch


Doctor Who actress Elisabeth Sladen has died, sources have said.

Liverpool-born Sladen joined the BBC television series in 1973 as Doctor Who's assistant Sarah Jane Smith.

She went on to star in spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, four series of which have been broadcast on CBBC.

BBC entertainment reporter Lizo Mzimba said she had been suffering from cancer, although it was not widely known the actress was in ill health.

He said: "She was one of the most popular Doctor Who companions of all time, and one of the people who managed to do both old Doctor Who and Doctor Who when it came back."

Sladen first starred as Sarah Jane opposite Jon Pertwee. The pair worked together for one season before Pertwee left the show in 1974.

She then became the assistant for Tom Baker and departed in 1976. When the show relaunched, she appeared alongside modern-day Doctor Who David Tennant.

In a 2006 interview with the BBC ahead of rejoining Doctor Who, she spoke of her love for the programme, saying: "I think it has lovely layers and I'd defend the programme to anyone.

"I'm very emotionally part of that programme and I think a lot of the people who worked on it are. You used to love going to work every day."

In a statement, the BBC said: "It is with much sadness that we can announce Elisabeth Sladen, the much-loved actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away this morning. She was 63."

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