It was sad to catch the news from a diehard Dr. Who fan at work. I had no idea she was ill, I only knew she starred in a spinoff show which tied together with some crossover involving Torchwood.
Many SciFi fans may have recognized Sladen if they casually watched episodes of Dr. Who on PBS since the Tom Baker years were the most commonly distributed shows when I was a kid. According to The Guardian, she was also the first Companion to have any level of celebrity.
She will be missed, especially in light of the ongoing Dr. Who renaissance happening this weekend: the BBC is debuting the new season in as many nations as soon as possible. No more multi-week or month delay before it’s shown in America.