Australian actor Joy Westmore has died at the age of 88.

Joy – who was known for her roles in Neighbours and Prisoner Cell Block H – had had been diagnosed with dementia some time ago, according to an announcement on the Australian daytime show The Morning Show on Friday.

She was most well-known for her role as Officer Joyce Barry in the soap opera Prisoner – known outside Australia as Prisoner Cell Block H.

Officer Barry was famously a lot more friendly and less tough than most of her fellow prison guards, which often led to her being exploited and taken advantage of by some of the inmates.

The character was initially only a small role, but as time went on, she was brought more into the foreground, and involved in some memorable scenes, most notably being kidnapped by one of the prisoners. 

Joy played the guard for seven years, until the show eventually came to an end in 1986.

After Prisoner Cell Block H, Joy appeared as Mrs White in a TV game show based on the board game Cluedo, and played two different characters in Neighbours.

She first appeared in the soap in 1991, returning more than a decade later as Nancy Bliss, the grandmother of Dee Bliss, played by Madeleine West.

More recently she had several roles in the Australian police drama Blue Heelers and appeared in an episode of the anthology series It’s A Date.

Joy was married to her late husband, Brian William Westmore, from 1960 until his death in January of this year.

Together, the couple had four children, Adam, Harriet, Lucy and Emily.