TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Irish actress Brenda Fricker, known for her role as Pigeon Lady in the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, passed away at the age of 81. Several media outlets, including Reuters and Page Six, reported that Fricker died in Dublin on Thursday night, July 16, 2026, after a long illness. The cause of her death was not announced to the public.
Fricker's agent, Phil Belfield, said that he remembered the actress as an irreplaceable figure in the film world. "We will never see anyone like her again. The world is a poorer place for her passing," Belfield said in a statement quoted by BBC News on July 17, 2026.
He called Fricker a beloved actress by film and television fans worldwide. "I feel privileged to have known, loved, and worked with her. She will always have a place in my heart and in the hearts of film and television fans worldwide," Belfield said.
As reported by Sportschosun, condolences also came from Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris. He referred to Fricker as one of the best actors Ireland had ever produced and a figure who helped introduce its film industry to the international stage.
Fricker was born in Dublin in 1945 and started her career as an assistant art editor at The Irish Times. She then transitioned to acting and made her screen debut in the film Of Human Bondage in 1964. Her name became widely known after portraying nurse Megan Roach in the BBC series Casualty.
Fricker's career peaked with the film My Left Foot (1989). Thanks to her role as Bridget Brown, the mother of painter and writer Christy Brown played by Daniel Day-Lewis, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The award made her the first Irish-born actress to win an Academy Award.
Despite starring in several films such as The Field, I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle, and A Time to Kill, the character most remembered by the public was Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2 released in 1992. In the film, she played a homeless woman living in Central Park and struck up a friendship with Kevin McCallister, portrayed by Macaulay Culkin.
Fricker continued acting in films and television until the last few years. Her latest work was the documentary drama The Swallow released in 2025.
A year before her passing, Fricker revealed her health condition in an interview with The Guardian. She admitted to suffering from a breathing disorder and having to endure days of constant pain.
Director Jim Sheridan, who directed My Left Foot, remembered Fricker as a talented actress with a strong conviction. Meanwhile, Dublin International Film Festival Director Grinne Humphreys considered Fricker's achievements an important part of the development of Irish cinema and will continue to be remembered as one of the country's cinematic legacies.
Read: Canadian Actress Catherine O'Hara, 'Home Alone' Mom, Dies at 71
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