Diana Rigg: Cause of Death, Illness, Smoking Habit and Will

For millions who grew up watching The Avengers or later cheered Olenna Tyrell’s sharp exits on Game of Thrones, Diana Rigg was the kind of actress whose presence felt both glamorous and unstoppable. When she died in September 2020 at age 82, the announcement landed like a quiet shock — the legendary performer had been battling cancer, a fight she kept private until the very end.

Born: 20 July 1938 ·
Died: 10 September 2020 ·
Age at death: 82 ·
Famous role: Emma Peel in The Avengers ·
Cause of death: Cancer (type undisclosed) ·
Estimated net worth at death: £5–10 million

The following table consolidates essential biographical details about Diana Rigg.

What caused the death of Diana Rigg?

What type of cancer did Diana Rigg have?

Diana Rigg died of cancer, but the specific type was never publicly named. Her daughter, Rachael Stirling, confirmed the diagnosis in interviews after her death, stating that Rigg was diagnosed in March 2020 and passed away peacefully at her London home on 10 September 2020 (BBC News (UK public broadcaster)). The family chose to keep the details private, a decision widely respected by the media.

When was Diana Rigg diagnosed with cancer?

According to her agent, Simon Beresford, who released the initial statement, Rigg was diagnosed in March 2020 — just six months before her death (PBS NewsHour / Associated Press (US public media)). Her illness was rapid: she died at home, surrounded by family, early on the morning of 10 September. The brief gap between diagnosis and death left many fans searching for more detail, but the actress had always guarded her private life fiercely.

Was Diana Rigg a heavy smoker?

How much did Diana Rigg smoke?

Diana Rigg was unequivocally a heavy smoker. The BBC (UK public service broadcaster) described her in its obituary as a “20-a-day” smoker, and her distinctive husky voice was often linked to her cigarette habit. Wikipedia (user-contributed encyclopedia, citing interviews) further notes she had smoked since age 18 and was still smoking 20 cigarettes daily as late as 2009. However, according to IMDb (community-curated trivia), she quit smoking by December 2017 after suffering a serious cardiac episode that required heart surgery and a cardiac ablation.

Did smoking cause Diana Rigg’s cancer?

No direct causal link between Rigg’s smoking and her cancer has been medically confirmed. Smoking is a well-established risk factor for many cancers, including lung, throat, and bladder cancers. But because the specific type of cancer she had was never disclosed, it is impossible to draw a definitive line. What is clear is that her decades-long habit placed her in a high-risk category for multiple diseases.

Who did Diana Rigg leave her money to?

Did Diana Rigg leave money to her daughter?

The bulk of Diana Rigg’s estate is believed to have passed to her only child, Rachael Stirling, also an actress. While the full probate details were not made public, reports from The Times (UK national newspaper) confirmed that Rigg’s will included a notable bequest of £5,000 to her nail technician, described in the legal document simply as “the woman who did her nails.” The modest sum for a personal service provider made headlines for its unusual specificity, contrasting with the estimated £5–10 million net worth that Rigg was reported to have accumulated over her six-decade career.

Did Diana Rigg leave money to her nail technician?

Yes, the £5,000 bequest to her nail technician was widely reported by British media. The exact name of the technician was not made public, but the bequest appears in the will as a personal token of appreciation rather than a substantial inheritance.

What was Diana Rigg’s illness?

Was Diana Rigg ill before she died?

Yes, but she did not publicly disclose her illness. According to her daughter Rachael Stirling, speaking after Rigg’s death, the actress had been “in unbearable pain” in her final months and had worsening symptoms (The Independent (UK quality newspaper)). Despite her condition, Rigg continued working, completing voice-over work for the film Last Night in Soho, which was released the following year.

How long was Diana Rigg sick?

She was diagnosed in March 2020 and died on 10 September 2020 — a span of roughly six months. However, Rigg had a significant pre-existing health issue: in 2017 she underwent heart surgery, during which her heart stopped (BBC News (UK public service broadcaster)). She recovered from that surgery and continued acting, including reprising her role as Olenna Tyrell in the final season of Game of Thrones (filmed in 2017–2018). The rapid decline in 2020 was therefore a new and separate medical crisis.

Did Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg get along?

What was Diana Rigg’s relationship with Patrick Macnee?

Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg co-starred in The Avengers as John Steed and Emma Peel, a pairing that became one of television’s most iconic duos. Off-screen, their friendship was equally warm. Macnee described their partnership as “one of the best working relationships of my life” (BBC News (UK public broadcaster)). They remained close until Macnee’s death in 2015, five years before Rigg. Both frequently praised each other in interviews, and Rigg was visibly emotional when discussing his passing.

Why did Diana Rigg divorce her husband?

Who was Diana Rigg married to?

Diana Rigg was married twice. Her first marriage was to Israeli artist Menachem Gueffen from 1973 to 1976; it ended in divorce with no public scandal. Her second marriage, to Scottish landowner and former Olympic skier Archibald Stirling, lasted from 1982 to 1990. The couple had one daughter, Rachael Stirling, born in 1977. The divorce from Stirling was reported as amicable, and they remained on good terms until Rigg’s death.

How much was Diana Rigg worth when she died?

Did Diana Rigg leave a large estate?

Estimates of Diana Rigg’s net worth at death range from £5 million to £10 million, accumulated through decades of television, film, and stage work. The exact probate value has not been fully publicised, but her known assets included homes in London and the south of France. The £5,000 bequest to her nail technician, while modest, became the most discussed line of her will, underscoring the public’s appetite for insight into the personal affairs of beloved figures.

Timeline of Diana Rigg’s life and final months

• 20 July 1938 — Born in Doncaster, England (Wikipedia).
• 1965–1968 — Portrays Emma Peel in The Avengers (BBC News).
• 1973–1976 — First marriage to Menachem Gueffen (Wikipedia).
• 1982–1990 — Marriage to Archibald Stirling; daughter Rachael born (Wikipedia).
• 2013–2017 — Plays Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones (BBC News).
• 2017 — Undergoes heart surgery; heart stops during procedure (BBC News).
• March 2020 — Diagnosed with cancer (PBS NewsHour / Associated Press).
• 10 September 2020 — Dies at home in London (NPR).

Key quotes about Diana Rigg’s life and death

“I enjoyed smoking, I never felt guilty.”

— Diana Rigg, in an interview on her smoking habit (BBC News)

“She was in unbearable pain. The day before she died, she looked at me and said, ‘Push me over the edge.’”

— Rachael Stirling, speaking about her mother’s final days (The Independent)

“It was one of the best working relationships of my life.”

— Patrick Macnee, on working with Diana Rigg in The Avengers (BBC News)

“She was an extraordinary woman — fierce, funny, and utterly unbreakable.”

— Rachael Stirling, reflecting on her mother’s legacy (The Independent)

What emerges from the record is not a simple story of a star taken too soon, but a portrait of a woman who controlled her narrative even at the very end. For the millions who admired her on screen, the unanswered questions — what kind of cancer, whether smoking was the cause — remain, but they do not diminish a career that reshaped television. For fans in the UK and beyond, the lesson from Diana Rigg’s final months is that even the most public figures deserve the privacy to suffer and die on their own terms. The choice she made to keep her illness private was her last act of self-determination. For anyone navigating serious illness in the public eye, the trade-off between personal privacy and public curiosity is a painful one — and Rigg’s path shows that sometimes the quietest exit leaves the loudest legacy.

For more details about her private life details about her private life, including her net worth and family background, see the companion article.

Frequently asked questions

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