Irish actor Brenda Fricker, best known for her performances in “My Left Foot” and “Home Alone 2,” died Thursday evening at age 81. Her agent Phil Belfield told TMZ that she passed away peacefully in her home in Dublin from an undisclosed illness. “We will never see her again and the world is less for the lack of her,” Belfield said. “I was honored to know, love, and work with her, and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.” Derek Thompson, who worked with Fricker on the TV show Casualty, told BBC News that Fricker was “truly the best I have ever worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of actors.” Cathy Shipton, who also worked with Fricker on Casualty, added that Fricker was “one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met”. “She lived her life courageously, warts and all. I loved her for her wit, her intelligence and her brilliant sense of humour,” Shipton said. Actress Fionnula Flanagan told RTE News that she was “totally devastated” after hearing of Fricker’s passing and described Fricker’s Oscar win as a paradigm moment for Irish cinema. Flanagan added that Fricker was a “great talent” which was “terribly important for Ireland because at the time we didn’t have a film industry … She was one of the leaders of that movement.” Fricker was born in Dublin and gained acting experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, according to IMDb.  She won international acclaim for her Oscar-winning supporting performance as the mother of a son afflicted with cerebral palsy in “My Left Foot”. She also played acclaimed roles in classics such as “Angels in the Outfield.” She is best known among younger audiences for playing the part of the introspective pigeon lady in “Home Alone 2.”  She persevered in her acting career, all while struggling to support an alcoholic husband and losing all six of her children to miscarriages.