At age 91, Australian television personality Diana "Bubbles" Fisher passed away. She was most recognized for her work on the films Beauty and the Beast and the original Heartbreak High.
Fisher was hospitalized at Sydney's St. Vincent's Private Hospital on Monday, passing away on Thursday night.
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The 91-year-old woman, who starred in the popular Australian TV series Beauty and the Beast, was remembered as having a contagious personality up until the end.
However, the late Diana passed on after a two-year battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Fisher's longtime friend Sally Evans stated in a statement yesterday (January 27) that the personality "was still full of life" in her final years, "exactly as people would remember her."
"She was at our home for Christmas and was rousing on my husband for not giving her enough baked potatoes," Sally said.
Born and raised in London, Fisher first met Humphrey while the BBC employed her. When Humphrey was transferred by the station to Australia in 1964, five years after their marriage in London's Lambeth Palace, she relocated to Sydney.
Fisher's father-in-law performed the marriage ceremony; he had also performed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's weddings in 1947.
Fisher was well-known for her respect for and coverage of the Royal Family throughout her long journalistic career. In 2020, she told Woman's Day that she'd "had the great pleasure of meeting several royals" and "covered their activities for various outlets in more than 53 countries."
She recalled the late Queen as "very charming" and Prince Charles as "someone genuinely interested" at the time.
Fisher had a significant influence on the growth of Australian television, and her portrayal of the agony aunt in Beauty and the Beast served as one of her defining performances
She discussed her time on the show in the Woman's Day interview, saying:
“Over the years I worked with many of the beasts, from Eric Baume to Clive Robertson. I began appearing on the popular TV talk shows of the day, from Maggie Tabberer’s to Mike Walsh’s.”
Another of Fisher's most significant responsibilities was as a panelist for 12 years on The Inventors. People still approach her with the questions "is it safe?" and "does it come in other colours?" which have become my two catchphrases.
She demonstrated for fifty years that she was a cheerful, exuberant, calm presence in print, on the radio, and on television. Her tone was unmistakably upper-middle-class English, and her worldview was possibly archaic but also cheery, uncritical, and friendly.
She acquired the nickname "Bubbles" shortly after leaving her own country in 1969. It wasn't just that she loved champagne but because of her bright personality. It stayed, and she continued to uphold it well into her nineties.
Fisher, who was born in London, relocated to Sydney in 1964 after her ex-husband, television producer Humphrey, was sent there by the BBC.
The couple first connected while the BBC employed Fisher, and they stayed close even after their split. The friendship further stoked her fascination with the Royal Family.
Aside from Sally, another of Fisher's pals, local celebrity Glen Marie Frost referred to the late actress as "the ultimate hostess" in a tribute piece that appeared in the Herald.
“She would throw a dinner party and have an incredibly eclectic mix of people in her home, actors, producers, media people … me. People don’t do that anymore, and no one ever goes to anyone’s home. She really was a fabulous woman, both on and off the screen.”
