My Left Foot star Brenda Fricker has died at the age of 81. The Irish actress, who won a best supporting Oscar for her turn as Daniel Day-Lewis' onscreen mother in the Christy Brown biopic, died after a period of ill health, her agent Phil Belfield said.
In a statement, he said: "We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.
"I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over."
Fricker, who was born in Dublin, worked in newsprint before starting to act. She had television roles in Coronation Street and other series before coming a regular in hospital drama Casualty.
The My Left Foot role in 1989, which saw her become the first Irish actress to win an Oscar, propelled her to other big screen outings, including the homeless pigeon lady in Home Alone 2.
She also featured in films including Victoria Guerin, Inside I'm Dancing and A Long Way From Home.
Ireland's Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said they had lost a "national treasure", adding, "Brenda brought depth and humanity to every role she undertook".
Other tributes poured in for the actress, including from Casualty co-star Derek Thompson, who told the BBC she was "truly the best I have ever worked with, and I've worked with a lot of actors".
Last year, Fricker released her autobiography She Died Young: A Life in Fragments, which candidly detailed a difficult upbringing. She was married to Barry Davis from 1979 until 1988.
She beat stiff competition at the Oscars, including Anjelica Houston, Julia Roberts and Dianne Wiest.
