Inn, a pub in Buxworth, Derbyshire. Illness and death In March 1986, Phoenix, who smoked 60 cigarettes a day, was diagnosed with lung cancer after collapsing at home. She continued to work following her diagnosis, hiding her illness from most people, including her lover Tony Booth. In the summer of 1986, her condition deteriorated, forcing her to undergo more extensive treatment and confirming mild speculation in the press that she had health problems. It later leaked that she had just weeks to live and had been given the last rites. Phoenix married Booth in the Alexandra Hospital (Cheadle), on 9 September 1986, attracting much media attention. Eight days later, she died in her sleep, aged 62. At her request, her funeral service at the Holy Name Church in Manchester featured a large brass band; according to Coronation Street histories written by show historian Daran Little, she wanted the event that marked her death to be as lively as her life. Booth's daughter Cherie was amongst the mourners, alongside her husband, Tony Blair. Legacy Since her death, Phoenix has been portrayed by Kym Marsh, Denise Black, Debbie Rush, Sue Johnston, Lynda Rooke and Jodie Prenger (who have all also appeared in Coronation Street as, respectively, Michelle Connor, Denise Osborne, Anna Windass, Gloria Price, Laura Collins/Lucy Woodrow and Glenda Shuttleworth) and Jessie Wallace in various dramas depicting her life, both on stage and television. As part of the Coronation Street 40th anniversary celebrations in 2000, blue plaques were unveiled outside the Granada Studios, the location for most of her work on Coronation Street, to four of the soap opera's stars, including Phoenix. The other plaques commemorated the lives of Doris Speed, Bryan Mosley and Violet Carson. References External links 1923 births 1986 deaths Actresses from Manchester Deaths from lung cancer in England English people of Irish descent English film actresses English soap opera actresses English television actresses English Roman Catholics 20th-century English actresses