Fair City actress Jean Costello has died at the age of 76

She played Rita Doyle on the soap.

Actress Jean Costello has died at the age of 76. The news was confirmed to Dublin Live by her sister, Sylvia Murray, earlier today. She also paid tribute to her sister on Facebook, writing: "All my love. Jean was a lady. "At least she’s up there now keeping my nanny company, our two angels." The legendary actress played Rita Doyle on Fair City for 24 years before making her departure in 2013. Rita was married to Bella Doyle during her time on the show, and was loved by fans. RTÉ released a statement about her passing:

"Everyone in Fair City is deeply saddened to hear about the sad passing of our former colleague Jean Costello. Jean was a stalwart in Fair City when she played the role of Rita Doyle. She entertained the homes of millions of Irish people for over 20 years as she was one of Carrigstown's most loved characters. We send our deepest condolences to her family and wide circle of friends and colleagues. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam."

The sad news comes after the deaths of Karl Sheils and Tom Jordan this year, who were also well-liked characters. Speaking about the heartbreak co-stars suffered his year, Johnny Ward said: "People themselves are talking about him, and trying to move on but when the name Robbie comes up on the scripts everyone takes a moment to reflect. "Especially in the read throughs because he was such a lovely guy and a character and honestly one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and Tom Jordan the same."