The BBC and EastEnders icon Sylvia Syms died in January 2023 at the age of 89, leaving her two children an astounding amount of money.
In her will, EastEnders actress Sylvia Syms, who passed away tragically at the beginning of last year, left more than a million pounds. The BAFTA-nominated actress, who starred in Peak Practice, At Home with the Braithwaites, and the BBC soap opera as Olive Woodhouse from 2007 to 2010, passed away in January 2023 at the age of 89, three weeks after her birthday.
From the middle of the 1950s to the middle of the 1960s, Sylvia, who is affectionately known as the Grand Dame of British Cinema, had a thriving cinematic career. She left a staggering £1.43 million estate when she passed away, with some of it going to charity and acting schools.
The majority of the money was left to her two children, Beatie and Ben, who have both pursued careers in entertainment like their mother did. Now that information about her has been made public, it is known that Sylvia kindly donated £5,000 to the London-based Royal Academy of Dramatic Art school and £2,000 to the charities Age UK and Intermission.
The Sun reported that: “Close friend and adviser Peter Stephens and other pals chosen by her family were also offered the chance to pick a painting from her personal collection.”
According to the Mirror, Sylvia “died peacefully” at London’s Denville Hall, a care facility for those in the entertainment sector.
Her children acknowledged her passing in a statement, stating: “Our mother, Sylvia, passed away quietly this morning. She provided us happiness and laughter all the way to the end of her incredible life. We were thinking back on all of our travels just yesterday.
“We will miss her terribly. We also want to use this occasion to express our gratitude to the whole staff at Denville Hall for providing our mother with such wonderful care over the past 12 months.
On behalf of the soap opera, an EastEnders official sent their sympathies, saying: “We are very sorry to learn of Sylvia Syms’s passing. Our thoughts and affection are with Sylvia’s friends and family.
Sylvia talked candidly about her worries about aging and how the world has changed during her lifetime in a 2017 interview with the Mirror.
“The nurses were all European when I was last in the hospital (in 2014 for pneumonia),” she said. But now, because of Brexit, they are all giving it up. There is no doubt that a crisis is approaching in the medical field. I’m afraid I’ll get sick now and have to visit the hospital.”
“What scares me terribly is the number of young people who have done all this training,” she said, referring to the predicament faced by care workers. They then have to drive across a metropolis to see the next person after spending ten minutes with someone to put on some toast.
“It’s awful. Furthermore, they refuse to pay appropriately, which is a dumb move. Those who work in the elderly care facilities receive pitiful wages. Therefore, do you think they’ll give a damn?
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