Kate O’Mara has died at the age of 74, her agent said on Sunday, March 30 2014.
The actress was best known for playing Alexis Colby's scheming sister Cassandra "Caress" Morrell in the US soap in the mid 1980s, but also had starring roles in Doctor Who, Howards' Way and Triangle and, more recently, Absolutely Fabulous and Benidorm.
Her agent Phil Belfield said she died in a Sussex nursing home after a short illness.
He said: "She was extraordinary, she had so much energy and vitality with a love for theatre and acting."
He added: "A shining star has gone out and Kate will be dearly missed by all who knew and have worked with her."
Her first television roles were in the 1960s. But it was in the 1980s that she landed her biggest and longest-running roles.
She was a ruthless businesswoman in BBC drama Howards' Way, which was dubbed the "Dallas of the Seas".
She also appeared in the original run of Doctor Who opposite both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as renegade Time Lord The Rani.
Last year, Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, Kate said she would like to reprise the role.
"I'd love to come back as The Rani another time around.
"To have a much older woman as your adversary, there's something interesting about that."
She is survived by her sister, the actress Belinda Carroll.
There will be a private funeral and a memorial service on a date to be confirmed.
