The most famous female in British newspapers has been quietly laid to rest, shortly after celebrating her 44th birthday. The news of her death came in a discreet message which, given her identity, was wholly inappropriate.
Its nature suggested there was a slight possibility of resurrection, depending on public response. But it really does seem as though The Sun’s topless Page 3 girl — the most argued-about pin-up on the planet — is no more. She was a symbol not just of sex, but of the rip-roaring days of Fleet Street, the London home of Britain’s raucous tabloids.
On a cold morning yesterday in London, there were still pictures of young women wearing very little on Page 3. But now, and apparently henceforth, their bikini tops stay on, just about. It is the end of an era.