Best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, Dame Barbara appeared in nine of the 31 films in the comedy series Carry On, and also made appearances in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and On the Fiddle with Sean Connery.
She was well-known for her portrayal of landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, starring alongside her on-screen children Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden.
She had been diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and had moved to a care home earlier this year. After her dementia diagnosis Dame Barbara became an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society and met Prime Minister Boris Johnson to raise awareness about the disease.
Her husband Scott Mitchell, who campaigned alongside his wife, said: "It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara's courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could."
The couple went public with her diagnosis in 2018 and Mr Mitchell had said they had been "really nervous" about revealing she was affected by the condition.
He said she would be remembered for the "love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives".
Tributes were paid from across the entertainment world with TV presenter Jonathan Ross tweeting: "Barbara Windsor in real life was everything you might have hoped for. So warm, so funny, so kind."
Singer Aled Jones described her as a "true national treasure" while veteran broadcaster Tony Blackburn said she was a "lovely lady who was always such fun".
In his statement Mr Mitchell thanked the public, family and friends for their support which he said "Barbara deeply appreciated".
She had died peacefully from Alzheimer's at a London care home on Thursday evening, age 83.
