The tragic final hours of Richard Beckinsale: How Porridge star’s shock death when actress daughter Kate was just 5 left her feeling ‘nothing is safe’ while half-sister Samantha missed out on bonding time due to family divorce

Kate Beckinsale paid tribute to her late father Richard Beckinsale on Tuesday as she marked the 45th anniversary of his sudden death.

The actor, famed for his roles in popular shows Rising Damp and Porridge, suddenly died on March 19, 1979 at the age of just 31, leaving behind his devastated wife Judy Loe and young daughters Kate and Samantha.

Richard’s tragic death came as a shock to the young family as he died in his sleep from a heart attack, which was later revealed to be a congenital defect.

There had been no real indication of what was to come, and it was in fact Judy who was the family’s focus then, as she was in hospital recovering from an operation.

The day before his death, Richard had taken Kate – who was just five-years-old at the time – to visit her mother in hospital and had no physical complaints, simply saying he felt tired.