All Creatures Great and Small pays tribute to beloved cast member after death at 79

The official social media page of Channel 5's period drama All Creatures Great and Small has paid tribute to late cast member Cleo Sylvestre following her death at the age of 79.

As the first black woman to play a leading role at the National Theatre, the Hertfordshire-born star was a trailblazer in the acting world. She was perhaps best known for playing Melanie Harper in ITV's long-running Crossroads during the 1970s and was also the first female vocalist to sing with The Rolling Stones.

All Creatures Great and Small shared a touching message in remembrance of Cleo, who played Anne Chapman in seasons one, two and four.

"We were all extremely sad to hear of the passing away of Cleo who played Anne Chapman from 2020-2023 on All Creatures Great and Small," the caption read. "Her first appearance in the Series 1 Christmas special wove some of Cleo's own family story into the story of Anne and Bert Chapman. Cleo was a pioneer, a fine actor and a wonderful human being who was much loved by all who worked with her. She will be much missed."

Fans shared their sadness in the comments section, with one person writing: "So enjoyed her portrayal of Anne, she always added such warmth and compassion to each episode she appeared in. A treasure," while another added: "So very sorry. I so enjoyed her in the Christmas episode. May she RIP."

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

• The true story of All Creatures Great and Small: Meet the real James Herriot, Helen, Siegfried and Tristan

• All Creatures Great and Small viewers 'in disbelief' over 'heavy flirting' between Siegfried and Mrs Hall

• 6 cosy shows to watch if you love All Creatures Great and Small

Cleo previously told PBS how her mother, Laureen Sylvestre, inspired her character in the Channel 4 series. She explained how director Andy Hay found her mother's story on a website called Africans in Yorkshire. "My mother was born in Hull, in Yorkshire. She was of mixed heritage—her mother was Yorkshire, and we don't know who her father was," explained the actress. "So that's how [Andy] read my mother's story and he decided to interview me, because he saw in the story that I'm an actor. I had an interview with him, and fortunately got it."

Sir Mick Jagger also paid tribute to the actress on Instagram with a black-and-white photograph of her with the band. The singer penned in the caption: "So sad to hear of the passing of my old friend, the actress and singer Cleo Sylvestre, the first female vocalist to sing with the Stones."

In her interview with PBS, Cleo revealed that her mum would often cook for The Rolling Stones in their council flat. "The Stones were always round, especially Brian [Jones] and Mick [Jagger]," she said. "We lived in a council flat with a tiny little kitchen, and she’d do meals for 15 people. Especially Chinese—she used to love to cook Chinese food. And she would bring out all these different dishes and everything. She loved Jewish food as well, because when she first came to London, she was friends with this Jewish family and she worked for them."