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Emmerdale actress Kitty McGeever has died.
The actress passed away surrounded by her family, a spokeswoman for Emmerdale told ITV news.
McGeever made history in 2009 by taking on the role of hell-raiser Lizzie Lakely in Emmerdale - becoming the first blind person to be cast as a regular in a British soap - having previously appeared in the ITV drama London's Burning .
She left the programme in 2013 due to ill health, according to Digital Spy .
The Unfolding, a horror movie which is due to be screened at the Frighfest film festival on 28 August, would become her last acting appearance.
In a statement seen by ITV news, Emmerdale described McGeever in a statement as a "great talent" and a "true inspiration".
"The cast and crew are devastated at her passing and she will be missed tremendously and remembered fondly by all of us."
McGeever's Emmerdale colleagues have lead tributes to the actress, including Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Livesy; Rachel Breckle who performs as Gemma Oaten; and Chelsea Halfpenny who is Amy Wyatt in the soap.
Show all 28 1 /28Notable deaths in 2015 Notable deaths in 2015 Lemmy The Motorhead lead singer and bass player (real name Ian Kilmister) died at home in Los Angeles on 28 December, age 70. He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer only two days before.
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Czech goalkeeper who played for Newcastle United between 1991 and 1998. He died on 29 December, aged 47, after suffering a cardiac arrest nine days earlier while jogging in Ostrava.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Shirley Stelfox English actress, best known as Emmerdale’s village gossip Edna Birch. Died on 7 December from cancer. She was 74.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Andy White Glasgow-born session drummer who sat in for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr on the Fab Four’s debut single Love Me Do. Also played on Tom Jones’s It’s Not Unusual and Lulu’s Shout. Died in New Jersey of a stroke. He was 85.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Howard Kendall British former footballer and manager widely regarded as the most successful boss in the history of Everton Football Club. He died on 17 October, age 69.
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Sue Lloyd Roberts died of cancer on 13 October, aged 63. She was a British television journalist who contributed reports to BBC programmes and, earlier in her career, worked for ITN
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Notable deaths in 2015 Carey Lander Carey Lander, the musician and member of the Scottish indie pop band Camera Obscura, died of cancer on 11 October, aged 33.
Notable deaths in 2015 Lord Geoffrey Howe The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Geoffrey Howe died aged 88 following a suspected heart attack on 9 October. Howe was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and finally Leader of the House of Commons, Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council
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Notable deaths in 2015 Gordon Honeycombe Broadcaster Gordon Honeycombe died aged 79. His death was announced on 9 October. Along with being a newscaster, he was also an author, playwright and stage actor
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Notable deaths in 2015 Jim Diamond Glasgow-born singer Jim Diamond died on 8 October, aged 63. The songwriter was best known for his hits 'I Won't Let You Down', 'I Should Have Known Better', 'Hi Ho Silver'
Notable deaths in 2015 Brian Friel Brian Friel, the celebrated Irish playwright, died on 2 October, after a long illness aged 86
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Notable deaths in 2015 Jackie Collins Jackie Collins, the best-selling author, died from breast cancer on 19 September, aged 77. She wrote 32 books, all of which were best-sellers.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Brian Close Brian Close, the former England, Yorkshire and Somerset cricket captain, passed away on 13 September, aged 84
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Notable deaths in 2015 Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks, the British-born neurologist and acclaimed writer, died on 30 August at the age of 82
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Notable deaths in 2015 Ralph Milne Ralph Milne, the former Dundee United and Manchester United player died on 6 September, aged 54
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Notable deaths in 2015 Wes Craven Wes Craven, the king of low-budget horror films, director, writer, producer, and actor, died on 30 August, aged 76
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Notable deaths in 2015 Colin Fry The TV medium and spiritualist, who appeared on Most Haunted, Psychic Private Eyes and 6ixth Sense With Colin Fry, died of lung cancer on 25 August, aged 53
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Notable deaths in 2015 Yvonne Craig, The actress, who played Batgirl in Batman TV series, died on 17 August, aged 78
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Notable deaths in 2015 Justin Wilson, The former Formula One driver Justin Wilson died on 24 August a day after suffering serious head injuries when struck by debris during an IndyCar race. He was 37.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Kitty McGeever The Emmerdale actress passed away on 16 August, aged 48
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Notable deaths in 2015 E’Dena Hines The actress and granddaughter to Morgan Freeman, was stabbed to death on 16 August. She was 33
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