Actress Mona Hammond has died at the age of 91.
The Jamaican-British actress star was best known for her role playing Blossom Jackson in the BBC soap EastEnders and her stint as Susu in Desmond's during the early nineties.
RADA chair Marcus Ryder confirmed Mona's death this morning as he said on Twitter: "It is with sadness that I wake up to the news Mona Hammond has died. Among her numerous achievements she co-founded Talawa Theatre Company in 1985.
"She was also a@RADA_London graduate and received an honorary RADA Fellowship in 2019."
Loose Women presenter Charlene White also paid tribute on Twitter, writing: "Mona Hammond, a trailblazer in every way. Thank-you."
"RIP Mona Hammond, who played Blossom Jackson in #EastEnders," an EastEnders fan site tweeted on Tuesday morning, with Walford Weekly podcast adding: "Really sad to hear of Mona Hammond passing.
"Blossom was a great character during the early years of #EastEnders and was a great family figure for the Jackson family in their early days. R.I.P."
Mona was best known to soap fans for her time spent in Albert Square playing Blossom Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson clan.
She arrived on the set of the BBC soap in 1994 and remained in the role until her exit in 1997. She went on to return in 2010 and reprise the role for two episodes to attend her on-screen great-grandson Billie Jackson’s funeral.
Playing Blossom was actually Mona's second stint on the soap, having first appeared on EastEnders playing the minor part of Michelle Fowler's midwife in 1986.
Former EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison led tributes to Mona on Tuesday, describing her as an "Inspiration".
She wrote on Instagram: "What a wonderful actress and pioneering woman, RIP Mona Hammond 91 fantastic years of inspiration."
In addition to being a much-loved soap star Mona was also a star of the theatre, having first began her acting career on the stage.
In addition to appearing in productions such as Josephine House and Macbeth, Mona spent two years at the Royal National Theatre in productions including Fuente Ovejuna and Peer Gynt directed by Declan Donnellan, and The Crucible.
Television work then followed, with Mona appearing on shows such as The Sweeney, Juliet Bravo, and even a cameo on Coronation Street before joining rival soap EastEnders.
Mona was also well-known for her time playing Susu in Desmond's throughout the early nineties, and her stint in its subsequent spin-off, Porkpie.
The late star was also an occasional actress on the radio too, playing Mabel Thompson on the BBC soap opera The Archers.
Her later acting work featured plenty of TV work - including roles on Holby City, Doctors and Death in Paradise - and even an appearance the 2008 movie 10,000 BC, directed by Roland Emmerich.
Mona was born in Jamaica on January 1 1931 and resided there until she moved to the United Kingdom in 1959 on a Jamaican Scholarship and worked for Norman and Dawbarn Architects.
She completed evening classes at the City Literary Institute in London for two years and was awarded a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1964
The much-loved actress was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
She is survived by her son and a granddaughter.
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