Coronation Street veteran Betty Driver has died aged 91.
An ITV spokesman said she 'died peacefully in hospital' in the early hours of this morning. She had played the role of Rovers Return barmaid Betty Turpin (later Betty Williams) in the soap for 42 years.
The actress had been in hospital for six weeks. She had also been unwell earlier in the year and was treated for a chest infection in 2010.
The ITV spokesman added: 'She will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her.'
'She'll be sadly missed': Coronation Street actress Betty Driver has died aged 91
Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street, said: 'I have lost a very dear friend and the Street has lost a very great character, a professional to her fingertips - she will be greatly missed.'
Barmaids united: Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch in the soap, has expressed her sadness after Betty's death
Julie Goodyear, fellow barmaid Bet Lynch in the soap, said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to work with Betty Driver for 25 years.
'We laughed together, we cried together and never once had a cross word. She was a totally professional actress. A true icon and legend and a very dear friend.'
Ms Goodyear said Driver was 'the very foundation of the Rovers Return' and added: 'She will be missed and remembered by millions.'
Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts said: 'Betty was a wonderful actress and remarkable woman.
'It is humbling to think that the 42 years she spent on Coronation Street was just half of her extraordinary career but Coronation Street certainly benefited when she decided to join our show in 1969.
'For more than four decades she delighted many millions of Coronation Street fans with her fantastic performance in countless great stories both dramatic and comic.
'Betty was always a delight to work with and whilst there is a great sadness at her passing away Betty will be remembered by everyone on Coronation Street with tremendous admiration and affection.'
Coronation Street's Helen Worth said: 'Our dearest Betty was loved by all she met, and will be sadly missed by all the cast and everyone working on the Street. The legacy she leaves is of laughter and love. The Rovers will not be the same without our adorable Betty.'
Honour... Betty received the MBE for her incredible career
Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully, added: 'Today is a very sad day. I am devastated we've lost our Betty. She was one of the funniest people I've ever met and definitely the kindest. I will miss her so much. Her star shone bright and long. Sweet dreams, duck.'
And William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, said: 'I loved Betty dearly, she was not only a colleague, she was a friend and godmother to my son James. She will be missed in the Street but she will be missed more so as a warm and loving person.'
Simon Gregson, who plays Steve McDonald, said: 'I have known Betty since I was 15 years old, we always had a very good relationship and I was fortunate to be one of her friends and I am going to miss her.'
Her close friend Charles Orr said: 'A true legend has left us with enough love and memories to last a lifetime.'
Katherine Kelly, who plays Becky McDonald, said: 'Our Betty - the true and constant Queen of the Rovers.
'The most famous street in the kingdom will never be the same now you are gone, but those sparkling eyes and cheeky laugh will live with me forever.'
Charlie Condou, Marcus Dent in the soap, wrote on Twitter: 'Very sad to hear our wonderful Betty Driver has passed away. A true Corrie legend. She will be missed.'
Driver had originally auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden in 1964 after a 36-year-career in radio, television and the stage.
She was then persuaded to come out of retirement in 1969 to audition for the role of Betty instead.
Her famous hot-pot, served at lunch-time in the Rovers, became an iconic dish which was subsequently offered as a ready meal in United Kingdom supermarkets. But Driver herself never tasted the dish as she did not eat meat.
Last year, when the soap celebrated its 50th anniversary, Driver insisted she would never retire from the show.
She said at the time: 'I love working. I can't retire, I won't retire - I never ever will.'
The veteran actress was known for her cheery personality but told in an emotional interview last year of her loveless childhood.
Long serving ... the actress had been on the show for over four decades
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, she revealed that she and sister Freda had a 'sad little life'.
Honoured: Veteran actress Betty Driver was awarded with an OBE at Buckingham Palace in 2000
Driver told presenter Kirsty Young: 'We never got a kiss. We never got a present, nothing. My mother was so strong that my dad just gave up. He was a sweet person but he just gave up.
'She was so domineering there was nothing you could do about it. It was a very, very sad little life, me and my sister, you know.'
Drive was already a household name in the 1940s as a leading vocalist with some of the top dance bands in the country.
She was persuaded out of retirement in 1969 and since, as Betty Williams, became the longest-serving barmaid in the history of the Rovers Return.
But before she became a full-time actress she sang with such bands as Henry Hall's and became a major recording artist in her own right.
Like Vera Lynn, she entertained the troops during the Second World War with the Ensa organisation (Entertainment National Service Association).
Driver was born on May 20, 1920, in Leicester, the elder of two daughters. She was pushed into a life on the boards by her star-struck mother, Nell. She joined the Terence Byron Repertory Company at the age of nine, and turned professional aged ten in a touring production of Mixed Bathing. At 14 she landed her first film role and trod the London stage.
She appeared in George Formby's Boots! Boots! but her song and dance scene was cut by Formby's domineering wife, Bessie, who also danced in the film and did not want to be upstaged by a child.
While still in her teens she appeared in a number of films and was making her name as a vocalist. During the war she teamed up with band-leader Henry Hall and for seven years became a regular and popular feature on his top radio show Henry Hall's Guest Night. She also had her own show, A Date With Betty.
Soap queen... Betty was a well-known face in the Rovers
By now she had become a major recording star with such hits as The Sailor With The Navy Blue Eyes, Macnamara's Band, Pick The Petals Of A Daisy, Jubilee Baby and September In The Rain.
Soon she was to travel to Australia, where she performed in her own show, and her career took her to Cyprus, Malta and the Middle East. On her return home, she appeared in various Ealing comedies.
Aged 32, Ms Driver married South African singer Wally Peterson. They returned to South Africa, but Betty came back home after a few months and ended the marriage after seven years.
In 1964, she auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street, but the producers wanted someone more slender. Two years later she was given the role of canteen manageress in the first of two Coronation Street spin-off series, Pardon the Expression.
However, in one scene, in which she had to throw actor Arthur Lowe, she dislocated her hip and injured her back and decided to retire from showbusiness.
She and her sister Freda and their father Frederick took over the Cock Hotel in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, and later the Devonshire Arms, Cheshire.
True icon: Betty at the Coronation Street 50th Anniversary Ball at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester last December
In 1969, one of her customers, Harry Kershaw, the Coronation Street producer, asked if she would be interested in appearing in the show.
She agreed and started out as Betty Turpin becoming, after 'marriage', Betty Williams. Ms Driver was awarded the MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List of 2000.
Driver appeared in more than 2,800 episodes of Coronation Street and was made an MBE in the Millennium New Year's Honours list.
An ITV spokesman said she 'died peacefully in hospital' in the early hours of this morning. She had played the role of Rovers Return barmaid Betty Turpin (later Betty Williams) in the soap for 42 years.
The actress had been in hospital for six weeks. She had also been unwell earlier in the year and was treated for a chest infection in 2010.
The ITV spokesman added: 'She will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her.'
'She'll be sadly missed': Coronation Street actress Betty Driver has died aged 91
Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street, said: 'I have lost a very dear friend and the Street has lost a very great character, a professional to her fingertips - she will be greatly missed.'
Barmaids united: Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch in the soap, has expressed her sadness after Betty's death
Julie Goodyear, fellow barmaid Bet Lynch in the soap, said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to work with Betty Driver for 25 years.
'We laughed together, we cried together and never once had a cross word. She was a totally professional actress. A true icon and legend and a very dear friend.'
Ms Goodyear said Driver was 'the very foundation of the Rovers Return' and added: 'She will be missed and remembered by millions.'
Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts said: 'Betty was a wonderful actress and remarkable woman.
'It is humbling to think that the 42 years she spent on Coronation Street was just half of her extraordinary career but Coronation Street certainly benefited when she decided to join our show in 1969.
'For more than four decades she delighted many millions of Coronation Street fans with her fantastic performance in countless great stories both dramatic and comic.
'Betty was always a delight to work with and whilst there is a great sadness at her passing away Betty will be remembered by everyone on Coronation Street with tremendous admiration and affection.'
Coronation Street's Helen Worth said: 'Our dearest Betty was loved by all she met, and will be sadly missed by all the cast and everyone working on the Street. The legacy she leaves is of laughter and love. The Rovers will not be the same without our adorable Betty.'
Honour... Betty received the MBE for her incredible careerAntony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully, added: 'Today is a very sad day. I am devastated we've lost our Betty. She was one of the funniest people I've ever met and definitely the kindest. I will miss her so much. Her star shone bright and long. Sweet dreams, duck.'
And William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, said: 'I loved Betty dearly, she was not only a colleague, she was a friend and godmother to my son James. She will be missed in the Street but she will be missed more so as a warm and loving person.'
Simon Gregson, who plays Steve McDonald, said: 'I have known Betty since I was 15 years old, we always had a very good relationship and I was fortunate to be one of her friends and I am going to miss her.'
Her close friend Charles Orr said: 'A true legend has left us with enough love and memories to last a lifetime.'
Katherine Kelly, who plays Becky McDonald, said: 'Our Betty - the true and constant Queen of the Rovers.
'The most famous street in the kingdom will never be the same now you are gone, but those sparkling eyes and cheeky laugh will live with me forever.'
Charlie Condou, Marcus Dent in the soap, wrote on Twitter: 'Very sad to hear our wonderful Betty Driver has passed away. A true Corrie legend. She will be missed.'
Driver had originally auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden in 1964 after a 36-year-career in radio, television and the stage.
She was then persuaded to come out of retirement in 1969 to audition for the role of Betty instead.
Her famous hot-pot, served at lunch-time in the Rovers, became an iconic dish which was subsequently offered as a ready meal in United Kingdom supermarkets. But Driver herself never tasted the dish as she did not eat meat.
Last year, when the soap celebrated its 50th anniversary, Driver insisted she would never retire from the show.
She said at the time: 'I love working. I can't retire, I won't retire - I never ever will.'
The veteran actress was known for her cheery personality but told in an emotional interview last year of her loveless childhood.
Long serving ... the actress had been on the show for over four decadesSpeaking on Desert Island Discs, she revealed that she and sister Freda had a 'sad little life'.
Honoured: Veteran actress Betty Driver was awarded with an OBE at Buckingham Palace in 2000
Driver told presenter Kirsty Young: 'We never got a kiss. We never got a present, nothing. My mother was so strong that my dad just gave up. He was a sweet person but he just gave up.
'She was so domineering there was nothing you could do about it. It was a very, very sad little life, me and my sister, you know.'
Drive was already a household name in the 1940s as a leading vocalist with some of the top dance bands in the country.
She was persuaded out of retirement in 1969 and since, as Betty Williams, became the longest-serving barmaid in the history of the Rovers Return.
But before she became a full-time actress she sang with such bands as Henry Hall's and became a major recording artist in her own right.
Like Vera Lynn, she entertained the troops during the Second World War with the Ensa organisation (Entertainment National Service Association).
Driver was born on May 20, 1920, in Leicester, the elder of two daughters. She was pushed into a life on the boards by her star-struck mother, Nell. She joined the Terence Byron Repertory Company at the age of nine, and turned professional aged ten in a touring production of Mixed Bathing. At 14 she landed her first film role and trod the London stage.
She appeared in George Formby's Boots! Boots! but her song and dance scene was cut by Formby's domineering wife, Bessie, who also danced in the film and did not want to be upstaged by a child.
While still in her teens she appeared in a number of films and was making her name as a vocalist. During the war she teamed up with band-leader Henry Hall and for seven years became a regular and popular feature on his top radio show Henry Hall's Guest Night. She also had her own show, A Date With Betty.
Soap queen... Betty was a well-known face in the RoversBy now she had become a major recording star with such hits as The Sailor With The Navy Blue Eyes, Macnamara's Band, Pick The Petals Of A Daisy, Jubilee Baby and September In The Rain.
Soon she was to travel to Australia, where she performed in her own show, and her career took her to Cyprus, Malta and the Middle East. On her return home, she appeared in various Ealing comedies.
Aged 32, Ms Driver married South African singer Wally Peterson. They returned to South Africa, but Betty came back home after a few months and ended the marriage after seven years.
In 1964, she auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street, but the producers wanted someone more slender. Two years later she was given the role of canteen manageress in the first of two Coronation Street spin-off series, Pardon the Expression.
However, in one scene, in which she had to throw actor Arthur Lowe, she dislocated her hip and injured her back and decided to retire from showbusiness.
She and her sister Freda and their father Frederick took over the Cock Hotel in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, and later the Devonshire Arms, Cheshire.
True icon: Betty at the Coronation Street 50th Anniversary Ball at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester last December
In 1969, one of her customers, Harry Kershaw, the Coronation Street producer, asked if she would be interested in appearing in the show.
She agreed and started out as Betty Turpin becoming, after 'marriage', Betty Williams. Ms Driver was awarded the MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List of 2000.
Driver appeared in more than 2,800 episodes of Coronation Street and was made an MBE in the Millennium New Year's Honours list.
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