British 'Blackadder' actress Byrne dies aged 80

Patsy Byrne, who played Nursie in the popular British television comedy "Blackadder", has died aged 80 -- the second star from the cult 1980s series to die in a fortnight, after Rik Mayall's sudden death.

Denville Hall, a northwest London care home for elderly actors, said Byrne died on Tuesday.

Her death came eight days after that of Mayall, who died aged 56 from a sudden heart failure following a run.

Byrne played Nursie -- Queen Elizabeth I's bonkers former nanny, whose real name was Bernard -- in "Blackadder II".

She and Mayall shared a memorable scene during the 1986 second series, which was set in the Tudor era.

Following a grand entrance, Mayall's sex-obsessed lothario Lord Flashheart barks at Byrne's plump, middle-aged character: "Nursie! I like it firm and fruity!"

Educated in Kent, southeast England, Byrne joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and played parts on the London stage.

"Blackadder" was voted Britain's second-best situation comedy series in a 2004 BBC-organised poll won by "Only Fools and Horses".