Barbara Windsor singing show-stopping cover of 'You Made Me Love You' in 1999 is so moving

11 December 2020, 12:32

The entertainment world is saddened to learn of Dame Barbara Windsor's death at the age of 83 yesterday (December 10).

The national treasure died peacefully in a care home where she was being treated for Alzheimer's, her husband Scott Mitchell confirmed.

The beloved actress was best known for her roles in the Carry On films and as the iconic Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders, and in the last few years of her life became an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society after being diagnosed in 2014.

However as well as being a brilliant actress, less people knew about the incredible voice Dame Barbara had.

Read more: Tributes pour in as beloved actress Barbara Windsor dies, aged 83

Barbara was a guest on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1999 when she sang a beautiful version of Patsy Cline's 'You Made Me Love You'.

Taking to the Parkinson stage, Dame Barbara sang the heartfelt song accompanied by a pianist and quartet, and proved to the audience what a true all-round entertainer she really was.

The song was just one of the tracks from the 1999 album she'd just released called You've Got A Friend, featuring covers including 'I Say I Little Prayer' by Aretha Franklin.

Following her death on Thursday her husband Scott Mitchell said she would be remembered for the "love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives".

After a life filled with love and her iconic laugh, he reflected on her generosity until the end.

Scott continued: "It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara's courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could."

Tributes have poured in from the entertainment world as the UK says goodbye to a national treasure.

See more: Celebrity deaths in 2020: Paying tribute to the stars we've lost this year

Barbara Windsor sings You Made Me Love You (1999)

Jonathan Ross tweeted: "Barbara Windsor in real life was everything you might have hoped for. So warm, so funny, so kind."

Barbara's on-screen Eastenders husband Larry Lamb told the BBC: "The word star gets a little bit over-used, and if you're going to be a star you've kind of got to learn how to be one," he said, "she was like the head girl at EastEnders."

"Everybody [at EastEnders] looked up to her - which physically wasn't the easiest thing to do, she was so tiny!

"But she was an extraordinary extraordinary woman and a great loss, everyone," he added.