CORONATION Street actress Maggie Jones, who played sharp-tongued Blanche Hunt, has died at the age of 75.

CORONATION Street actress Maggie Jones, who played sharp-tongued Blanche Hunt, has died at the age of 75.

The much-loved star, who first appeared in the show 35 years ago, died this morning in hospital.

Jones was forced to pull out of filming on the ITV1 soap in October after being admitted to hospital for major surgery.

She won several comedy awards for playing Blanche, although she only became a regular cast member in 1999 after numerous occasional appearances.

A publicist for the show confirmed her death today and said she had died at the Salford Royal Hospital.

The spokeswoman said: “Maggie had been making a slow recovery but her condition deteriorated early Wednesday morning and she passed away peacefully in her sleep.”

Long-standing Coronation Street star William Roache (Ken Barlow) led the tributes to his late colleague.

He said: “Maggie was a big part of the Barlow family and a brilliant actress.

“She was a tower of strength, physically frail but mentally strong as an ox and sharp as someone half her age. She had an amazing dry wit and was as funny if not funnier than Blanche.”

- Leave a tribute to Maggie by posting a comment below.