‘Fawlty Towers’ actress Prunella Scales dead at 93

Prunella Scales, who starred in the beloved British sitcom “Fawlty Towers,” has died nearly a year after her husband, Timothy West, passed away. She was 93.

Scales, who had recently battled dementia, died “peacefully at home in London,” on Monday, her sons, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.

“She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home,” the statement continued.

“She was watching ‘Fawlty Towers’ the day before she died,” they said.

Samuel and Joseph said their mom was married to their father, Timothy, for 61 years before his November 2024 death.

“She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren,” they added.

“We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love.”

Scales tied the knot with Timothy in 1963.

They hosted the Channel 4 travel documentary “Great Canal Journeys” together from 2014 to 2019. 

Scales was best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in “Fawlty Towers,” which aired on BBC2 for only two seasons in 1975 and 1979.

In 2000, the British Film Institute voted the comedy the No. 1 British TV program of all time.

Scales retired from acting in 2020 after her 2014 Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. 

In a 2021 interview with the Mirror, Samuel said his mother “still recognizes” her family and “knows [he has] two children, so that’s really good.”

“You can never quite tell with dementia what sort of personality it’s going to leave a person with, but on the whole she’s quite cheery,” he told the outlet.

As for Timothy, he suffered a “significant traumatic brain injury” from a fall last August, according to the Westminster Coroner’s Court.

Assistant coroner Ellie Oakley said the “Brass” actor was treated in hospital for about three months before he was moved to Wandsworth Common Care Home to further receive care. Timothy died on November 12, 2024, at the age of 90.