Sylvia Anderson, who co-created Thunderbirds with ex-husband Gerry and voiced Lady Penelope, has died, aged 88.
A producer and writer, Ms Anderson created the Supermarionation puppet series with husband Gerry.
She died at her home in Bray, Buckinghamshire, following a short illness, her daughter Dee Anderson confirmed.
"Sylvia was a mother and a legend - her intelligence was phenomenal but her creativity and tenacity unchallenged," her daughter said. "She was a force in every way, and will be sadly missed."
Gerry Anderson died in 2012 aged 83.
As well as voicing Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds from its debut in 1965 until 1968, Sylvia also worked on Joe 90, Captain Scarlet and Stingray.
Born in south London to a boxing champion and a dressmaker, she went on to have a career in television spanning five decades.
She recently worked as head of programming for HBO in the UK and had been writing a show with her daughter entitled The Last Station, as well as having a cameo in last year's ITV series Thunderbirds Are Go.
She is survived by her daughter, who is a singer-songwriter, son Gerry Anderson Junior, an anaesthetist, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Speaking last September, Mrs Anderson said she had had 'fun' playing a great aunt to her original character, voiced by Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike, in ITV reboot Thunderbirds Are Go.
Behind the camera, she took on many roles for Thunderbirds, including character development and costume design.
"I never waved the flag or anything about being a woman, but I was a woman with a group of men. Now and again I would get a director and I would go on set, one in particular, no names of course, and he was very, very huffy because I was a woman giving him notes on what he had shot the previous day, and I tried to do it very carefully," she said.
Watch an interview with Sylvia Anderson, below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTGCp1X-tY
