Leeds lass Louise is remembered with a TV tribute full of character
A top American TV programme has paid walking, talking tribute to a fan from Leeds following her death from cancer.
Writers on crime drama The Blacklist named a character in a recent episode after Louise McLellan, who died in January aged 42.
Louise, who lived in Killingbeck, was a devoted fan of the series, which stars James Spader as master criminal Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington.
In the episode, broadcast on NBC in the States last week, Reddington’s life is saved by a woman called LouLou McLellan.
The tribute came about after a moving blog post by one of Louise’s fellow fans, who wrote: “It was because of The Blacklist and more particularly James Spader that she was able to endure horrendous chemo treatments for three years.
“Spader and The Blacklist gave her something to look forward to every week.”
Louise’s sister, Susan, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “It’s a lovely way for her to be remembered and we are all very touched.
“Louise was pretty much obsessed with the series. If someone had told her it was going to give a character her name then she’d probably have started hyperventilating!”
In a post on Twitter, The Blacklist’s writing team said: “LouLou is named for a fan who lost her battle with cancer this year. Our deepest love to her fam&friends as we celebrate her #Tribute4LouLou.”
The character of LouLou McLellan was played by an actress called Afton Williamson, who has made appearances in other hit TV series such as Homeland and The Good Wife.