Former ‘EastEnders’ Actress Josephine Melville Dies Backstage at Play

Dan Clarendon
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Josephine Melville
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Josephine Melville in 2003

British actor and director Josephine Melville died on Thursday, October 20, after collapsing backstage at the play in which she was performing.

According to BBC News, Melville was treated by paramedics and a medically-qualified audience member at the Nottingham Playhouse in Nottingham, England, but died at the scene. A cause of death has not been released.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that last night the actor Josephine Melville passed away backstage at Nottingham Playhouse following the performance of the play Nine Night, in which she was performing,” the theater said in a statement. “Josephine’s family have been informed, and our thoughts and deep condolences are with them.”

The Nottingham Playhouse also canceled the remaining performances of the play.

“We send our love and condolences to Jo’s family and friends,” said Stephanie Sirr, the playhouse’s chief executive. “On a deeply tragic and extremely difficult evening, we want to pay tribute to the company of Nine Night and to the whole Nottingham Playhouse team who managed the situation with empathy and professionalism.”

In a 1986 arc on the BBC soap EastEnders, Melville played Tessa Parker, a college friend of college friend of Kelvin Carpenter (Paul J. Medford) and Harry Reynolds (Gareth Potter), according to the Associated Press. She returned to the show in 2005 to play the character Ellie Wright.

Melville also appeared in the British TV series The Bill, Casualty, and Prime Suspect. Last year, she released Assistance, a short film she directed and produced, and participated in Know Your Roots, a project celebrating Black women’s hair. Melville’s most recent screen credit was a role in this year’s music video for Ella Henderson’s song “Brave,” though she also has a part in the completed sci-fi thriller Slammer.

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In Nine Night, a coproduction with Leeds Playhouse, Melville played the role of Auntie Maggie.

“The entire company and staff at both theaters are in a state of shock,” Nottingham Playhouse’s statement added. “Josephine was a truly wonderful and well-loved person, a revered and deeply respected performer, director, producer, archivist, and writer, and a tremendous Auntie Maggie in Nine Night.”

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  1. G

    GoldGlasses

    Vax

    18 6

  2. R

    RedApple

    Vaxx

    20 9

  3. R

    RedSeahorse

    If you’re saying she died because she was vaccinated, that’s utter bull

    17 8

    1. B

      BlueRadio

      Exactly!! Unvaxxed idiots in my family have serious problems with health. One person has a permanant sore throat for over a year and nothing can be done.

      1

  4. O

    OrangeMagnet

    Dropping like flies. They will connect the dots eventually, maybe.

    7 3

  5. P

    PurpleTeepee

    Vax

    7 4

  6. G

    GreenPretzel

    There's always been tons of unexpected and sudden deaths in the celebrity world, if you seriously think it's because of the COVID vaccine, I sure hope you don't get COVID and drop dead just because you decided the vaccine didn't work. 🤷

    1

    1. B

      BlueRadio

      No one cares if unvaxxed clowns bury themselves.Thoughts and prayers.

  7. G

    GreenLobster

    GOD is REAL, mourn not, as she is in Paradise.... 💖

    2 1

  8. B

    BlueRadio

    Traitor and brainwashed. Stop making me laugh.

  9. G

    GoldBug

    A lot of people are dying unexpectedly before their time from Long-Covid sequelae. I hope that’s not the case here. Sudden, unexpected deaths aren’t due to vaccination.

    10 23

    1. B

      BlueRadio

      Exactly. Brainwashed people think that.

      1