Mona Hammond, ‘EastEnders’ Star, Dies at 91

Mona Hammond, a former “EastEnders” star and West End trailblazer, has died. She was 91.No cause of death has been given.Hammond was best known for playing “EastEnders” matriarch Blossom on the long-running British soap opera as well as co-founding the Black British theater company Talawa alongside Yvonne Brewster, Carmen Munroe and Inigo Espejel in 1986.The actor was of Chinese and Jamaican heritage, according to the Guardian, changing her name from Mavis Chin to Mona Hammond to avoid typecasting. Hammond was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain in 1959, working in an office while attending evening acting classes. Before long, ...