Irish actress Brenda Fricker, best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in “My Left Foot” and her appearance as the ‘Pigeon Lady’ in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” has died.
She was 81.
Fricker died Thursday night in Dublin after a period of declining health.
“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,” said her agent, Phil Belfield, according to BBC.
“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,” Belfield added.
Irish actor Brenda Fricker has passed away aged 81.
She was best known for her Oscar-winning role in ‘My Left Foot’ and for playing the Central Park pigeon lady in ‘Home Alone 2.’ pic.twitter.com/CuqRhGO8Ag
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 17, 2026
BBC has more:
Fricker’s former Casualty co-star Derek Thompson, who played long-running character Charlie Fairhead, paid tribute to the actress, telling BBC News: “Truly the best I have ever worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of actors”.
Cathy Shipton, who played Lisa ‘Duffy’ Duffin, added that Fricker as “one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met”.
“She lived her life courageously warts and all. I loved her for her wit, her intelligence and her brilliant sense of humour,” Shipton told BBC News.
“Life happened when you were around Brenda. We shared a love of dogs – collies and my girl Juno is named after her favourite collie.
“I love her and miss her and am so glad l knew her.”
Watch this famous scene from “Home Alone 2” below:
The “Pigeon Lady” from Home Alone 2 has died
Oscar winner Brenda Fricker was 81.
“We will never see anyone like her again, and the world is a poorer place without her,” the actress’s agent said in announcing the sad news.
Fricker was best known for her role in the drama My… pic.twitter.com/HA4dNginue
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 17, 2026
Fox News shared further:
The actress made history at the 1990 Academy Awards when she became the first Irish woman to win an Oscar, taking home the best supporting actress trophy for her performance as Bridget Fagan Brown in “My Left Foot.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe film starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown, an Irish writer and painter born with cerebral palsy who could control only his left foot. Day-Lewis also won the Academy Award for best actor.
Although Fricker earned widespread acclaim for her work, she remains instantly recognizable to millions of fans for portraying the gentle “Pigeon Lady” in 1992’s “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”
Her character, a lonely woman living among the pigeons in New York City’s Central Park, forms an unexpected bond with Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, in one of the film’s most emotional storylines.
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