Editing Doris Speed (section)

== Death ==
After leaving ''Coronation Street'', Speed moved into the Highbank nursing home in [[Walshaw]], [[Bury, Greater Manchester|Bury]], where she lived until her death. She died during an afternoon nap on 16 November 1994, and was found by a member of staff who had gone to collect her afternoon tea tray. Speed was said to have fallen asleep reading the novel [[To Sir, With Love (novel)|''To Sir, With Love'']] by [[E. R. Braithwaite]], while a cigarette was still burning at her side. The owner of the nursing home said, "What was remarkable was that she got up and put on her best dress and make-up. It is something she never did, unless she was expecting a guest. Nobody was due to see her yesterday and I wonder if she knew what was going to happen."<ref name=":6" /><ref>'Actress dies; Doris Speed' (1994) ''Times'' [London, England], 18 Nov, 2, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115607051/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=326ddf2d [accessed 20 Jan 2022].</ref><ref><nowiki>''Queen Annie' of Coronation Street dies at 95'</nowiki> (1994) ''Guardian'' [London, England], 18 Nov, 3, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170672428/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=a897e25e [accessed 20 Jan 2022].</ref> Speed was 95, the same age at which her mother had died.<ref name=":2">'Haughty queen of the Street: Obituary of Doris Speed' (1994) ''Guardian'' [London, England], 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170672533/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=df9bc88e [accessed 20 Jan 2022].</ref>

Tributes were paid by her former colleagues. Granada Television said in a statement: "Because of Doris Speed's wonderful performance, the character of Annie Walker became one of the legends of ''Coronation Street'' and British TV. She maintained a close link with the programme and Granada." Speed had been due to attend a tribute to ''Coronation Street'' on 28 November at Manchester Town Hall.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=1994-11-17|title=Street veteran Doris dies at 95|pages=222|work=Evening Standard|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93103731/street-veteran-doris-dies-at-95/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> Show creator Tony Warren said, "She was a superb actress and the most loyal of friends."<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|date=1994-11-18|title=First lady of the Rovers Return dies at 95|pages=3|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93103444/first-lady-of-the-rovers-return-dies-at/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> Her funeral took place on 23 November 1994 at the New Jerusalem Church in [[Kearsley]], [[Bolton]], and was attended by fellow ''Coronation Street'' stars, including [[Jean Alexander]], [[Betty Driver]], [[Julie Goodyear]] ([[Bet Lynch]]), [[Daphne Oxenford]] ([[List of Coronation Street characters (1960)|Esther Hayes]]) and [[Irene Sutcliffe]] ([[List of Coronation Street characters (1968)|Maggie Clegg]]). [[Bryan Mosley]], who had played [[Alf Roberts]] in the show, gave a Bible reading, and [[Kenneth Farrington]], who played her on-screen son [[Billy Walker (Coronation Street)|Billy Walker]], told the service: "She was admired by the whole world."<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|date=1994-11-24|title='Street' stars bid farewell to Annie Walker|pages=20|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93106482/street-stars-bid-farewell-to-annie/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> Speed was cremated in [[Blackley Cemetery|Blackley]], Manchester.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1994-11-23|title=Street weeps for Annie|pages=254|work=Evening Standard|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93103560/street-weeps-for-annie/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s tribute programme in the month of her death attracted an audience of 10.11m viewers, which was a higher figure than that week's episode of [[Blind Date (British game show)|''Blind Date'']], a flagship Saturday night game show on the same network.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1994-11-30|title=Yentob's lottery prize|pages=61|work=Evening Standard|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93106187/yentobs-lottery-prize/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> Speed left an estate worth £514,192 (equivalent to over £1m in 2022).<ref>'Actress's will; Doris Speed' (1995) ''Sunday Times'' [London, England], 02 Apr, 22, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115586900/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=14b887ae [accessed 20 Jan 2022].</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1995-04-03|title=Recent Wills|pages=21|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93105578/recent-wills/|access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref><ref>Measuring Worth - Purchase Power of the Pound https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/relativevalue.php?use%5B%5D=CPI&use%5B%5D=WAGE&year_late=1995&typeamount=514192&amount=514192&year_source=1995&year_result=2022</ref>