Brenda Fricker, Oscar winner and Home Alone 2 actor, dies at 81
Agent Phil Belfield told TMZ the Irish actor died peacefully in Dublin after a period of ill health.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Brenda Fricker, the Oscar-winning Irish actor remembered by generations of movie fans as the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2, has died at 81.
Her agent, Phil Belfield, told TMZ that Fricker died peacefully Thursday night in Dublin following a period of ill health.
Belfield paid tribute to Fricker in a statement to TMZ, saying: “We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”
Fricker won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1990 for her performance in My Left Foot, in which she played the onscreen mother of Daniel Day-Lewis.
For many viewers who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, she was also a familiar face from family films. TMZ noted that fans widely knew her for Home Alone 2, where she played the Pigeon Lady, and for Angels in the Outfield.
Her role in Home Alone 2 made her part of one of the era’s most-watched holiday films. The character’s scenes with Kevin McCallister became among the movie’s memorable emotional beats.
Fricker’s death was confirmed by TMZ through Belfield. No additional details about her illness were provided.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.