AceShowbiz - Felicity Kendal is grieving the death of her partner Michael Rudman. The theatre director died on Thursday, March 30 at the age of 84 but no further details about his death were given. The sad news arrives two years after he survived a battle with COVID-19 - spending two weeks in intensive care in hospital on a ventilator after catching the bug in 2021.

Bosses at The Soho Agency talent firm which represented him confirmed his death in a statement posted on Twitter. "We are deeply saddened at the passing of our client, brilliant theatre director and writer Michael Rudman. He will be greatly missed but his contribution to the theatre industry will not be forgotten. RIP Michael," it read.

Michael's career achievements included a stint at the UK's National Theatre and as a director at the Chichester Festival Theatre while he was artistic director of the famed Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for two years in the 1990s. He also directed three plays on Broadway and won a Tony Award for his production of Arthur Miller's classic play "Death of a Salesman".

Michael was married to first wife Veronica Bennett - the mother of his two daughters Amanda and Katherine - from 1963 until 1981 - and to actress Felicity Kendal, whom he shared son Jacob with. Michael and Felicity split in 1991 and divorced in 1994, but they resumed their relationship in 1998 without remarrying.

Felicity, 76, previously spoke about Michael's "scary" battle with COVID, telling the Camden New Journal newspaper, "I think I can speak for a lot of people about the fear being huge, and the frustration being a real hardship."

"That feeling that you don't know what state your loved one is in and knowing you still can't go and see them - it's not like anything you've experienced before. It was just such a scary time. Michael is in his 80s ... The thing that gets you through family sadnesses and illness is that you can bind together."