Helen Mirren reveals very sad news in emotional post as fans rush to send supportive messages

Dame Helen Mirren has sadly revealed on social media that a close friend of hers passed away.

The film star shared the sad news on her Instagram page, as she paid tribute to her friend Diane Rodriguez.

Diane was an American theatre artist who directed, wrote and performed, and passed away following a long battle with cancer.

Alongside a picture of Diane, Helen wrote, ‘my brilliant friend, Diane Rodriguez. Funny vibrant and so talented. A great leader and a passionate advocate. and also the best girlfriend to laugh and chat with . She was respected and very loved by many and will be terribly missed. She was better than most of us.’

Fans of the Oscar-winning actor were quick to send their condolences in the comments section, with one saying, ‘I'm really sorry for your heartache and loss Helen.’

Another wrote, ‘Sorry for your loss Dame Helen ❤️’.

A third added, ‘You have my deepest sympathy, it’s so terrible when you lose a good friend.’

Despite focusing on theatre for most of her life, Diane also ventured into movies and television, starring in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and featuring on ER and LA Doctors.

However, theatre was her passion, as she told the National Endowment for the Arts in 2018, "I want to write plays about the middle class and struggle. There's a huge strata of Latinas that live in the United States who've gone to school, who are middle class, who are very invested in American values, and who we never see onstage or in film.

"They were important for me to write about, and they continue to be important for me to write about."

Dame Helen is currently self-isolating with her husband Taylor Hackford at Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border of California and Nevada in the US.

Our thoughts are with Diane Rodriguez's friends and family during this difficult time.