AN actress who died suddenly at the weekend was "a leading light on stage and screen".
Julie Maxwell, who was in her 30s, is believed to have died after collapsing at a Belfast city centre bar on Saturday night.
It is understood the actress, who is also known as Julie Lewis, collapsed in the grounds of Sunflower Public House on Union Street.
Ms Maxwell was well known in local acting circles and played the role of Charlene in the popular BBC comedy Soft Border Patrol, which also features comedian Neil Delamere
The show’s producer Marie McDonald spoke of her shock last night.
"Julie was more than a colleague, she was a dear, dear friend, and much loved part of our Soft Border Patrol family," she said.
"She was a leading light on stage and screen, a beautiful person inside and out, and her presence will never be forgotten.
"We are devastated, and our thoughts and prayers are with her husband Rhodri, her family and friends."
Justin Binding, BBC NI Executive Producer, Soft Border Patrol said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear the news of Julie’s sudden death.
"She was a talented actor who brought much laughter to our screens in Soft Border Patrol.
"We would like to offer our deepest condolences to Julie’s family and friends at this time."
The north Belfast woman was a former pupil at Hazelwood Integrated College and later studied at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
The actress, writer and director had worked closely with the Lyric Theatre in the past.
In May she starred in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire and had been working assistant director for the theatre's upcoming version of Shirley Valentine at the time of her death.
A spokesman for the Ambulance Service said it received a 999 call at 10.05pm `following reports of an unconscious female at a premises in the vicinity of Union Street, Belfast."
"NIAS despatched two Emergency crews to the incident and following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one female patient was taken, by ambulance, to Royal Victoria Hospital," he said.
A PSNI spokesman said police had "received a report of the sudden death of a female, aged in her 30s, at a Belfast hospital" on Sunday August 25.
"A post mortem examination will take place in due course however the death is not being treated as suspicious at this time," he said.
