61-year-old actor George Rossi, well known for his role as DC Duncan Lennox on The Bill, has died. The actor’s loved ones announced that he had passed away on Wednesday, 5 January, at the age of 61.
Bill Star George Rossi passed away peacefully in the arms of his family, according to his bereaved widow, who stated that he had been fighting pancreatic cancer for some time.
George Rossi died in his North London home surrounded by his beloved wife Catrin, and two children Matilda, 26, and Santino, 24.
In a statement, Catrin told MailOnline:
‘George was a wonderful person. He died peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family after losing his battle against pancreatic cancer.
‘He died at home which is what he wanted. We will miss him terribly and we are all really grieving at the moment and trying to come to terms with this huge loss. The children are devastated as am I.’
She held her tears and said: ‘It was expected but this has hit us hard and we really don’t know what more to say.’
George and Catrin wedded in 1988 and were living together since. Catrin’s children, friends, and other relatives are at their family home supporting her. Upon learning of his passing, his niece Louisa posted on Facebook that he had been acting strangely only a few days prior.
Louise shared a post on Twitter and captioned-
‘Unfortunately, George Rossi who played DC Duncan Lennox passed away the morning of Wednesday 5th January 2022.
‘This is my uncle,’ she added. ‘He was acting still up until recently. Unfortunately, he passed away yesterday morning.’
Since his debut in 1993, Rossi has appeared in about 200 episodes of The Bill, making him a fan favorite until he left the program in 2003, 10 years later. In addition to The Bill, Rossi has appeared in several other renowned television shows, including Taggart, where he portrayed two separate roles.
In 1994, he played Kevin in the tv series Roughnecks, and then in 2009 and 2010, he played DC McCormack during the first two seasons of Whitechapel.
George was raised in Govan, Glasgow, the son of Italian immigrants and employed in the ice-cream truck with his family. This actor was educated in Debden, Essex at the East 15 Acting School.
George also appears as Kevin in Roughnecks and as Peter’s brother in the 1984 film Comfort and Joy.
In addition to his roles in Holby City & Casualty, as well as the Television show The Singing Detective, the actor acted in the 1983 comedy-drama film Local Hero alongside Dennis Lawson, Fulton Mackay, and Peter Riegert.
In 2013, George took the role of Gianpaolo Albertini in BBC’s Soap Doctors, and then previously he also appeared as Marco in Hustle.
Billy Murray, the actor who portrayed Don Beech on The Bill from 1995 to 2004 took to Twitter and offered his condolences saying-
‘Devastated to hear #GeorgeRossi has died. A funny, warm colleague at The Bill and a fine actor. 60 no age. RIP my friend.’
Performer Ben Peyton, who portrayed Ben Hayward on “The Bill” from 2000 to 2003 tweeted-
‘I remember when I’d just started and we had to talk together in the background of a scene before I walked out of shot and he carried the scene on.’ ‘I’d always say ‘Cheers, Sir,’ as I left even though we were the same rank (PC & DC). I had no idea and assumed he was my superior. I must’ve said it about five or six times before someone pointed it out. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I said. ‘Because it was funny,’ he chuckled.’
George Rossi was a great actor and more importantly, a great person, and his sudden demise has left a void. in the entertainment industry.