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Kitty McGeever Dead: Stars Pay Tribute To ‘Emmerdale' Actress Following Her Death At the Age Of 44

'Emmerdale' Cast And Crew Pay Tribute To Kitty
Matt Bagwell
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The cast and crew of ‘Emmerdale’ have being paying tribute to actress Kitty McGeever following her death at the age of 44.

Kitty, who joined the cast in 2009, was the first ever blind actress to be cast in a British soap.

Producers of the ITV soap confirmed her death in a a statement, which read: "It is with much sadness that Emmerdale confirms actress Kitty McGeever, who played the character of Lizzie Lakely, passed away last night, surrounded by her loving family.

"Kitty was a great talent and a true inspiration to all who worked with her. The cast and crew are devastated at her passing and she will be missed tremendously and remembered fondly by all of us."

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Kitty McGeever (1971-2015)

Her ‘Emmerdale’ castmates, crew members and friends also paid their respects, taking to Twitter to express their sadness at the loss of their colleague and friend...

It's since emerged that Kitty could end up saving lives after her death after it was revealed that she has donated her liver and corneas to medicine in a final act of kindness.

Speaking about the actress, Emmerdale’s producer Kate Oates said: "What she did do was donate her liver and also her corneas, so Kitty’s family and Kitty have hopefully given the gift of life to someone else through this tragedy, which I think is just a wonderful thing.

"She became friends with everybody, she was a real social butterfly – just this huge, huge presence. That’s what was really groundbreaking about her."

She added: "The word “inspiration” is banded around far too often but for Kitty there is no better word for her, she was just amazing."

The actress played Lizzie Lakely until March 2013, when she was forced to quit due to illness.

Lizzie was a huge hit with fans during her years in the Dales, and her feisty nature and mischievous tendencies resulted in many hilarious plot developments.

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'Emmerdale': Where Are They Now?
Patsy Kensit(01 of20)
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Played: Sadie King (2004-2006)Patsy's popped up in a number of places since her stint on the show, including 2015's 'Celebrity Big Brother'. She also starred in 'Holby City' from 2007 to 2010. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP /Invision/AP)
James Sutton(02 of20)
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Played: Ryan Lamb (2009–2011)After leaving the Dales, James returned to 'Hollyoaks', where he stars as John-Paul McQueen. (credit:Lindsey Parnaby via Getty Images)
Kate McGregor(03 of20)
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Played: Emily Kirk (1999-2005, 2006-2008)After quitting the soap, Kate has returned to the Dales on a couple of occasions however she's never made a full comeback. However, since 'Emmerdale', Kate hasn't appeared on TV screens again. (credit:Tim Whitby/PA Archive)
Tom Lister(04 of20)
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Played: Carl King (2004–2012)Tom seems to have put acting on the back-burner recently, and judging from his Twitter, he spends a lot of time working with the charity Hope For Justice. He's also in a band, named Edna's Hat. (credit:Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images)
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Peter Amory(06 of20)
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Lisa Riley(07 of20)
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Played: Mandy Dingle (1995-2001)Since Lisa left the Dales, she's starred in 'Waterloo Road' and 'Scott And Bailey', as well as getting her dancing shoes on for 'Strictly'. Let's be honest though - the thing we remember most is the fact she provided the voice over for 'You've Been Framed'. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Sammy Winward(08 of20)
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Verity Rushworth(09 of20)
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Adele Silva(14 of20)
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Played: Kelly Windsor (1993–2000, 2005–07, 2011)Troublemaker Kelly returned to cause trouble in the village a number of times. During her time away, Adele tried her hand at modelling, starring in a number of lads' mag shoots, and also starred on reality TV shows such as 'Celebrity Fear Factor' and 'The Salon'. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
Stephen McGann(15 of20)
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Deena Payne(16 of20)
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Ben Freeman(19 of20)
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Played: Scott Windsor (1993–96, 1998–2007)After 'Emmerdale', Ben - successfully - tried his hand at stage acting, and he's trod the boards after landing roles in 'Romeo And Juliet' and 'Legally Blonde', among others. (credit:ITV/REX)
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