Tributes have been paid to Maggie Jones, best known as Coronation Street battle-axe Blanche Hunt, who has died aged 75.
The much-loved actress, who made the first of more than 830 appearances in the soap 35 years ago, died in hospital on Wednesday morning.
Long-standing colleague William Roache called her a "tower of strength" and a "brilliant actress".
Jones was forced to pull out of filming on the ITV1 soap in October and had been in the Salford Royal Hospital ever since, following major surgery.
A spokeswoman for the show said: "Maggie had been making a slow recovery but her condition deteriorated early Wednesday morning and she passed away peacefully in her sleep."
When told of her death, cast and crew erupted into a spontaneous round of applause in tribute to the actress, which lasted several minutes.
Street veteran Roache, who played Blanche's son-in-law Ken Barlow, led the tributes to his late colleague.
He said: "Maggie was a big part of the Barlow family and a brilliant actress. She was a tower of strength, physically frail but mentally strong as an ox and sharp as someone half her age.
"She had an amazing dry wit and was as funny if not funnier than Blanche. We were great crossword partners, we sat through Tracy's trial scenes doing the crossword together."
He added: "I don't think Maggie ever realised how much she was loved, not only by everyone on the show but by the millions of Blanche fans out there. She will be greatly missed."
