The actor described his older sister Tracy as "brilliant" and "gifted".

Benedict Cumberbatch has paid a powerful tribute to his older sister Tracy Peacock, who recently passed away from cancer aged 62. She is mourned by her husband, and her 34-year-old daughter Emily. Tracy was the daughter of the actor's mother Wanda, and spent many of her teenage years babysitting Benedict when he was an infant. In a statement reported in the Daily Mail, Cumberbatch described his sister as "brilliant". The Sherlock actor said: "She died of cancer. She'd been battling it for seven years. "As the greatly awful Donald Rumsfeld said, 'stuff happens'. It's horrible." He continued: "She was nothing to do with this world. She was markedly different. She was a brilliant fine artist but ended up doing a lot of restorative work on canvas and on frames and on carpentry. "But still kept her hand in and did her own work and made the most Christmas and celebratory cards of any kind of festival. She was very gifted." Benedict also recalled with fondness how Tracy once left him on on the rooftop on a cold winter's day and "forget" he was there. "I mean, it was funny," he said. "She was in the kitchen with her friends and she suddenly saw the snow falling through the window."