EastEnders and Desmond's actress Mona Hammond dies aged 91

5 July 2022, 08:40 | Updated: 5 July 2022, 08:56

Actress Mona Hammond has died at the age of 91, according to reports.

Tributes have begun pouring in for the actress, best known for her roles in EastEnders as Blossom Jackson in the 1990s and Aunty Susu in Desmond's.

In 2005 she was awarded an OBE for services to drama and in 2018 was awarded the Women Of The World Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fans were quick to post heartfelt tributes on social media after the news broke this morning with Loose Women presenter Charlene White Tweeting: "Mona Hammond, a trailblazer in every way. Thank-you."

Marcus Ryder MBE said: "It is with sadness that I wake up to the news Mona Hammond has died. Among her numerous achievements she co-founded Talawa Theatre Company in 1985.

"She was also a RADA London graduate and received an honorary RADA Fellowship in 2019."

One fan added: "A trailblazing UK Caribbean elder gone. Mona brought such compelling presence to every role she played.

"Her intelligence, skill and humanity shone in every role. In 1986 I saw her in Talawa Theatre's 1st production, the Black Jacobins in which she was breathtakingly powerful. RIP."

Mona emigrated to Britain in 1959 on a Jamaican Scholarship.

She appeared in many TV programmes during her career including Coronation Street, Doctor Who and Casualty.

Hammond was also a stage actor, and was celebrated for co-founding the Talawa Theatre Company, one of the country’s foremost Black theatre groups.

LBC has approached Mona's agent for comment.

This story is being updated, more follows.