Copyright Men's Journal
Prunella Scales, best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty on the legendary BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died. She was 93. Now, details have emerged about the late star’s cause of death. Scales Died After a Battle with Dementia Born in Surrey, England, Scales held a career on stage and screen which spanned nearly 70 years, beginning as a stage manager before segueing into on-stage work. Her most iconic role came early in her career, when she was cast as the wife to hotel manager Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) on Fawlty Towers. Though she was outwardly ditzy and obsessed with her appearance, Sybil was often the most competent manager of the titular business, bailing her husband out of all manner of self-made calamities. “Sybil’s trouble was that, having married out of her class and been fooled by Fawlty’s flannel, she realized, too late, that she had landed with an upper-class twit for a husband,” she shared in the 2007 book Fawlty Towers: The Story of a Sitcom (via The Hollywood Reporter). Later in her career, Scales appeared in a variety of films, including The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Boys From Brazil (both 1978), James Ivory’s Howard’s End, and Mike Nichols’ Wolf (1994). In 2013, Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia. Her final role was on the reality series Great Canal Journeys, in which she appeared opposite her husband, Timothy West, who died last year. Scales’ Sons Announced Her Death Scales’ sons, Samuel and Joseph, announced the star’s death through the U.K ‘s PA Media news agency and on X, sharing that she died “peacefully at home in London” on Monday, Oct. 27. “Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home,” the statement read. “She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life; her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.” Entertainment One of Diane Keaton’s Best Roles Is an Underrated Woody Allen Thriller Declan Gallagher Following the announcement, Cleese paid his respect to his late co-star in a statement to the BBC. “How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I’ve recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect,” he said. “She was a very sweet lady who spent a lot of her life apologizing. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her.” Scales is survived by her two sons, a stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
