Diana Rigg’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Costars Share Tributes After Her Death: “The True Queen of Westeros”

Following the news of Diana Rigg‘s death this morning, tributes to the Game of Thrones star have been pouring in from around the world. Rigg, who played House Tyrell matriarch Olenna Tyrell for four years on Game of Thrones, died today at the age of 82. Although audiences know her well for her role on the HBO fantasy epic, Rigg worked in film and TV for decades, appearing in the classic British series The Avengers, as well as Doctor Who,  Detectorists, and You, Me, and the Apocalypse. 

When news of her death first broke earlier today, her Game of Thrones costars honored Rigg on Twitter, praising her for her talent and work ethic. Both Nathalie Emmanuel and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau — who played Missandei and Jaime Lannister, respectively — posted tributes to Rigg on social media, along with Pedro Pascal and John Bradley. The official Game of Thrones Twitter account remembered Rigg, too, posting the message, “Be a dragon. The realm will always remember Diana Rigg.”

Game of Thrones viewers posted their own tributes to Rigg, remembering her for her excellent portrayal of Olenna Tyrell. The moment that most fans shared was the famous scene when her character reveals before her death that she was the one to poison Joffrey, uttering the now iconic line, “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” Tributes featuring clips from her final scene flooded Twitter along as fans honored one of their favorite Game of Thrones characters.

Fellow actors George Takei and Brent Spiner, both Stark Trek stars, and Katy Manning from the original Doctor Who series, honored Rigg, too. In his tribute to the Game of Thrones actress, Takei called Rigg “a giant” of the screen and stage. “It was too soon for you to leave us, but we are grateful for decades of your art, from Medea to Bond, to more recently GoT and Avengers,” he wrote in part.

And of course, James Bond himself shared a touching post about his former On Her Majesty’s Secret Service costar. George Lazenby, who played Bond alongside Rigg, his Bond girl, in the 1969 film, posted a lengthy tribute remembering his onscreen wife.

“I’m so sad to hear of the death of Diana Rigg. She undoubtedly raised my acting game when we made On Her Majesty’s Secret Service together in 1968-9,” he wrote. The actor praised Rigg for “her depth of experience,” and went on to deny any reports of a  feud between the two while they were working on the film. “We were good friends on set. Much was made of our supposed differences but that was the Press looking for a news story,” he added. “I was sorry to have lost my wife in the film at the end.”

To conclude his tribute, Lazenby wrote, “The death of Contessa Teresa di Vincenzo Draco created a memorable cinema moment over 50 years ago. As my new bride, Tracy Bond, I wept for her loss. Now, upon hearing of Dame Diana’s death, I weep again. My deepest condolences for her family. Love George xx.”

Where to watch Game of Thrones