Emmerdale actress Sheila Mercier dies aged 100 - BBC News
The star, who played Annie Sugden, was part of the soap from its launch as Emmerdale Farm in 1972.
Sheila Mercier was part of the first ever episode of Emmerdale Farm

The Hull-born star played Annie Sugden in the soap from its first episode in 1972 until 1994 and continued to make guest appearances up until 2009.

The British Soap Awards remembered Mercier - who was the sister of actor Brian Rix - as the "very definition of a matriarch".

Claire King, who plays Kim Tate in Emmerdale, has described Mercier as the soap's "beating heart".

A spokeswoman for ITV confirmed Mercier's death in a statement on Friday night.

She said: "It's always sad to hear of the death of an actor who played a significant part in Emmerdale's success.

"Even more so when that actor was in the very first episode and around whose family the show was built."

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Claire King This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle, said: "The great Sheila Mercier has left us. What an iconic character Annie Sugden was.

"Used to watch it with my grandparents as a boy, so to meet her in later years was a thrill."