The British actress, who stars as sidekick Sarah Jane Smith on the TV series for a decade, passed away at the age of 63 on Tuesday, April 19.
- April 20, 2011
AceShowbiz - Elisabeth Sladen, the British actress who portrayed TV timelord Doctor Who's most long-serving assistant, has died at the age of 63. Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith, the sidekick of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's time traveling doctors, for a decade.
She first appeared on the cult sci-fi show in 1973 and returned in 2006 for a four-year stint on the program. Her character landed Sladen a spin-off series, "The Sarah Jane Adventures". The actress lost her battle with cancer on Tuesday, April 19.
A statement from "Sarah Jane Adventures" creator and "Doctor Who" writer Russell T. Davies reads, "I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis."
