Helen McCrory, who played the enigmatic Aunt Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, passed away after battling cancer at just 52 years old last April. The actress was due to star in the sixth season of the revered show, as well as lend her voice to the VR game Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom.
Since McCrory’s passing, the show’s writers made the decision to have Polly die too. A few months ago, creator Steven Knight shared that “She is still a very strong influence on Tommy, and therefore the whole thing. Her death is a catalyst for a lot of stuff that happens, all the way up to the end of episode six.”