Beloved British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in the classic sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died at the age of 93, her family confirmed. She passed away peacefully at home, just months after the death of her husband, fellow actor Timothy West, who died in November 2024 at age 90.
Scales and West married in 1963 at Chelsea Registry Office after meeting on the set of the period drama She Died Young. They had two sons, Samuel and Joe, and West had a daughter, Juliet, from a previous marriage. In his 2023 memoir Pru and Me: A Love Story, West revealed that Scales had long regretted not being able to marry in a church.
In 2003, 40 years after their wedding, Scales suggested they have a blessing in a church, saying, 'You know we've always regretted not being able to get married in a church. Well, why don't we have a blessing in a church? Not the whole ceremony, of course – just the vows.' West gave his 'full and wholehearted support,' and the ceremony took place at St Andrew's Church in Oving, West Sussex, officiated by their friend Canon John Hester. Scales wore a white trouser suit and looked 'effortlessly stylish and incredibly beautiful,' according to West.
Scales was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, with West first noticing signs in 2001. Despite her dementia, the couple remained devoted. In a BBC Breakfast interview, West said caring for her 'hasn't really been hard work,' and Scales added, 'He is the person I love and I enjoy being with.' Her family noted that she was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.
In a statement, Scales' family said: 'Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024. She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.'
