Lis Sladen (1946- 2011)
Elisabeth Sladen was an English actress, most famous for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, often described as the most popular companion ever, her character was the first proper feminist companion on the show and also the longest serving (1973-76) she returned for the 20th anniversary special (1983) and for an episode with David Tennant in 2005, before she was given her own spin-off show on CBBC (The Sarah Jane Adventures, 2007-2011)
Lis Sladen passed away exactly 4 years ago today (19th April) at the age of 65 and I just wanted to take a moment to say how much she meant to people, not just to me but to every child who watched her alongside the Doctor or in Bannerman road and she is so, so missed. Thank you for lighting up my TV screen Lis :)
“Except, of course, she was everything I could hope she would be. Charming, diffident, conscientious, giggly, determined, straightforward, a little crazy and enormously warm.” – David Tennant
“Tom campaigning for no new companion, ‘because no one could replace Sarah’,” – Elisabeth Sladen (The Autobiography)
“There she was on the TV screen, smiling and laughing and looking beautiful. How could she be gone?” – Brian + Sadie Miller
“Her doctor said, ‘We can’t cure it, but we’re going to throw everything we can at you to fight it as long as possible’ That fight lasted no more than two months. Lis died at the Meadow House Hospice in the early hours of Tuesday, 19 April 2011. She was 65 years old.” – Brian + Sadie Miller