James Bond and Avengers Actress Honor Blackman Dead at 94

Honor Blackman, the actress who starred as Bond girl Pussy Galore in 1964's Goldfinger died at age 94. Her other best-known screen role was playing Cathy Gale in The Avengers UK espionage series - but those were far from being her only highlights over the span of her 80-year career. Contrary to what many fans may assume about the timing, Honor Blackman did not pass away from complications related to the novel coronavirus COVID-19, but rather from what The Guardian describes as "natural causes" related to her age. She was a talented actor, sex symbol, fashion icon, singer (including hit song "Kinky Boots"), stage performer and passionate activist, who will be surely missed by her millions of fans.

Here's the statement that Honor Blackman's family issued to the public and her many fans (via The Guardian):

"It's with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.

As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times."

Blackman was born in east London to a middle-class family in 1925, and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her cinematic debut was a non-speaking role in Fame Is the Spur in 1947. Other film highlights include Jason and the Argonauts in 1963, the western Shalako in 1968, and Something Big in 1971. However, the biggest break in her career was the one-two punch of joining The Avengers TV series in 1962, where her martial arts prowess as Cathy Gale landed her the Bond Girl role as Goldfinger's Pussy Galore in 1964. It was far from the end of her run, though: Blackman went on to add titles like Columbo, Doctor Who, and Bridget Jones's Diary to her filmography, as well as taking on theatrical roles, including The Sound of Music, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, and an entire one-woman show in the mid-2000s.

RIP to Honor Blackman. We offer our condolences and prayers to her family in their time of loss.