Patricia Routledge at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2008 Nils Jorgensen/ShutterstockDame Patricia Routledge, the award-winning British actor best known for her leading performance in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96. On Friday morning, Dame Patricia’s spokesperson told the PA news agency: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love. AdvertisementPatricia Routledge and her co-star Clive Swift on the set of Keeping Up Appearances in 1993 ShutterstockFor her work in Keeping Up Appearances, Dame Patricia landed a British Comedy Award, as well as two TV Bafta nominations. AdvertisementDame Patricia Routledge in 2017 after her investiture as a dame Nils Jorgensen/ShutterstockHer final acting credit came in 2014, when she appeared in a revival of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. In 2017, she received a damehood from the late Queen Elizabeth II for her services to charity and drama.