Heart attack killed ‘ brilliant’ Vicar of Dibley star at just 53
VICAR of Dibley actress Emma Chambers is thought to have died from a heart attack, it emerged yesterday.
Miss Chambers – who played dim but lovable verger Alice Tinker in the BBC sitcom – died from natural causes at the age of 53 on Wednesday night, it was announced on Saturday.
Yesterday Jon Plowman, who produced The Vicar of Dibley, said: ‘It’s no age to have a heart attack, as I understand it.’
He added: ‘Emma was a gifted comic actress who made any part she played look easy. She was adored by the cast and crew. I think the thing I’ll miss most was her laugh.’ Dawn French, who starred as the Rev Geraldine Granger in the show alongtive
‘She was a great comedy performer’
side Miss Chambers, said: ‘ Emma was a very bright spark and the most loyal and loving friend anyone could wish for. I will miss her very much.’
Doncaster-born Miss Chambers, who was married to actor Ian Dunn, was also known for her role as Honey – the sister of Hugh Grant’s character – in the Bafta award- winning romantic comedy Notting Hill which was written by Richard Curtis, who also created and co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley.
Grant said the news of her death was ‘very sad’, writing on Twitter: ‘Emma Chambers was a hilarious and very warm person and of course a brilliant actress.’
The Vicar Of Dibley originally ran from 1994 to 1998 but returned for numerous fes- and Comic Relief specials, with the latest episode airing as recently as 2015.
Mr Curtis’s wife, the broadcaster Emma Freud, paid tribute to the couple’s ‘beautiful friend’. She wrote on Twitter: ‘We’re very very sad. She was a great, great comedy performer, and a truly fine actress. And a tender, sweet, funny, unusual, loving human being.’ Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who was also born in Doncaster, said: ‘I’m sad about Emma Chambers. Knew her when she was a kid in Doncaster. She was very funny.’
Miss Chambers’s agent John Grant said in a statement on Saturday: ‘We are very sad to announce the untimely death, from natural causes, of the acclaimed actress Emma Chambers. Over the years, Emma created a wealth of characters and an immense body of work.
‘She brought laughter and joy to many, and will be greatly missed.’
A representative for Miss Chambers was yesterday approached for comment.